Lost Blue Skies
by Khyara
Summary: Sometimes ignorance is not bliss, what if your life is not really yours, what if your memories are not real. Alec is about to find out what happens when your previous life strike down on your present existence. AU.
1. Intro

**Summary: **Sometimes ignorance is not bliss, what if your life is not really yours, what if your memories are not real. Alec is about to find out what happens when your previous life strike down on your present existence. This is an AU story centered mainly on Alec.

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**Intro**

In 2003, a new military project was approved by the U.S. Government. The program itself would use human resources from an earlier program, _the_ Manticore Project. 

The Prometheus Project was created by a group of former Manticore sponsors, who considered that the original project lost its direction. The uncontrolled work on genetic research and DNA splicing resulted in a large group of failed test subjects, anomalies, whom were dumped in Manticore's basement. Most parts of the earlier series of Manticore couldn't be used in daylight missions due their physical appearance and unstable behavior.

From the earlier subjects created; only 80 of the X4 Series had survived and were capable of being used on outside missions. All the hopes of Manticore rested on the X5 Series whose subjects were by far the future of the project. 

A committee formed by twelve of the most _influential_ members inside the military and government, established the rules and regulations for the Prometheus Project. The project itself would provide the government with the best operatives ever trained; specially enhanced subjects able to do what normal humans couldn't and with a superior performance than regular subjects from Manticore.

In order to accomplish its goals, the Committee selected only the best subjects from Manticore's X4 and X5 Series, ten subjects from each series passed the evaluation standards. 

By the end of 2006, the twenty subjects were removed from Manticore and officially introduced as part of the Prometheus Project. Only the X5 subjects were part of the genetic enhancing process, from then on the X5 unit was known as The Elite.

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**Author Note:** I apologize in advance for any kind of typos you might find in the near future, with that said I leave you to enjoy the story.


	2. Your Own Disaster

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Chapters from 01 to 04 had been reposted, due the fact that now I have a Beta Reader who did the amazing job of correcting grammar errors and typos on the texts.  
Thanks to Kita for the great job.

_****_

_**Chapter 1  
**__**Your Own Disaster**_

The loud music drifted in his mind; bass cords, guitar strings and drum beats. There was no way he had slept wearing earplugs again, he was quite sure of that. Nope, the off key voice could only belong to someone and that someone was about to be on the receiving end of his raging tantrum.

Or... maybe he would shut up.

And for a couple of seconds it did seem like that.

However, the day was refusing to cooperate with Alec and after seconds of blessed silence the same off key voice started singing another part of the lyrics. He learned years ago that wishful thinking doesn't apply when considering the 'Finn Situation'. This was pure torture; especially on a damn Sunday morning.

Giving up on the last remains of hope, he slowly opened one eye, glaring at the white ceiling that seemed to be mocking him. There was no light filtering inside the room and the darkness surrounding him was definitely comfortable, inviting him to go back to sleep and forget this was their last day in the city. It was the perfect set up to close his eyes and surrender to the tiredness, if only that damn voice would stop interrupting his slumber.

"I really hate Finn" he muttered dejectedly.

Groaning as he sat up in his bed, starting his morning routine of stretching his limbs and cracking his neck, preparing himself to confront the reason of his current state at being successfully woken up at 6.03 a.m. X5 – 529 was going down for this.

Pushing off of the mattress, he walked toward the closet and picked a discarded shirt from the floor before going out. Back at home he would usually be more of a tidy person, but as usual in outside missions, all of them had a tendency to loosen up on their learned behavior. For him it entailed messing up his usual flawless organization.

He wasn't a neat freak about everything, just on things he considered important to him. As an afterthought he picked up the worn down tennis ball from the bed table, feeling that it was a safer choice than picking up his Glock. After all, he reasoned, a dent caused by a ball was easier to explain than a hole caused by a bullet.

The music had changed again and now instead of hard rock accords it sounded suspiciously like a pop song. He had heard that song before, somewhere he couldn't place, but he was sure it did not accompany like the current male voice singing it, or at least trying.

This was amazing, just wonderfully amazing. He imagined the faces of the committee members if they ever got a glimpse of what their million dollar soldiers actually do in their spare time.

The science, money and time spent in research and development had created nutcase kids; and in their specific case what was already a revved up version, upgrading a notch not only the senses but craziness as well. That was indeed ironic. He could actually see the file in his head...

_Case Study No. 890  
__Subject: X5 – 338245712529 (aka Finn)  
__Psychological Evaluation: Completely and utterly insane_

If he hadn't known the specific punk since they were toddlers and been well aware of what he was capable of doing, Alec might be easily convinced that Finn was a basket case and that he would more than likely end up in a mental institution sooner than later.

Back to the matter at hand, he walked straight towards Finn's room and opened the door forcefully, only to be greeted with a scene solely possible when you were the unlucky soul dealing with the First Lieutenant's misdeeds.

Biggs was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, chains around his body and_ a_ lamp flashing straight into his face. He looked tired, pale and extremely annoyed, muttering what could had passed for a prayer but if paying close attention was in reality a string of insults and curses in four different languages, besides English.

His eyes were firmly shut trying to block out the bright light. His ears however weren't that lucky; it was a pity that Manticore hasn't find out a way to block disturbing sounds, when it came to the sound proof barriers X5s were in disadvantage, their enhanced hearing was a con more than a pro.

Finn was standing directly in front of Biggs wearing a Beretta 9000 like an improvised microphone on his right hand. His voice was pushed to the limit in an attempt to imitate the female high notes from the original singer, complementing the look a blond wig rested lopsided over his head. He was performing what could be considered as the most terrible and hideous version of Fever in all mankind history, completed of course with Finn's version of a sexy dance.

Alec made a mental note to avoid Kylie Minogue music at least for a month, better two, if only to keep at bay the disturbing image and sound association branded in his mind.

In order to complete the perfect picture of all the members of his current mission, Nicole was sitting on the floor near the bed with a book resting over her knees as she moved her head in rhythm with the music, completely lost in whatever she was reading, ignoring both Biggs' muttering protests and Finn's singing recital.

Alec _was_ quite aware that he should be surprised, but sadly he's not, at least not that much anyway. And while this is a little bit extreme from whatever he could and should have expected, the scene certainly has the crazy and delusional elements that have become a characteristic for the handy work of Finn and Nicole.

Together on a mission those two were a deadly accurate combination that succeeds in the worst scenarios with the most inventive resources and plans. However, X5 – 529 and X5 – 678 with idle time or in looking for revenge were the recipe for disaster. The two soldiers were firmly stuck in their terrible 2-year-old phase with all the issues that dealing with toddlers involved.

While it was true that none of them had experienced a normal childhood, all his unit was well aware that the environment and conditions where they were growing up were by far the best compared to the rest of the Manticore's military facilities and even an average family in the outside world. And although common childish behavior was not seen inside HQ, the Committee and higher ranking officers usually overlooked the strange situations surrounding their outside missions; they were given free reign as long as the parameters were respected, targets obtained and expectations surpassed.

But really, waking up your CO at 06:00 am on the last day of an outside mission was crossing the line for him, basically because he was the CO and he would have preferred not to be disturbed and slept happily through the morning rather than being awaken by Finn's singing abilities which held an amazing resemblance of the desperate meowing of a dying cat.

He pondered which could be the best approach in order to make his presence known. He sighed inwardly, he should have picked the Glock instead of the ball; eventually, he would have found a good explanation for the bullet wholes in the wall. Finally he opted for using the ball and sent it flying against the wall at Finn's back, barely grazing both Biggs' ear and Finn's cheek. The ball bounced off the white structure and flew towards Nicole's face. It probably would have left her with a black eye if she hadn't caught at the last second.

"Now that I have your attention, is there a chance of a logical explanation of why you are singing and looking like a drag queen? Or why you're chained to a chair, practicing derogative terms in 5 languages? Or better yet, why you're letting them do it without stopping this madness?"

Alec's sarcastic and bored tone cut off the singing, swearing and reading activities and three pairs of eyes looked back at him; one amused, another grateful and the last one relieved.

"You're here…finally. And yes, before you say it we all know that evil things happen to morning people. Come sit down and I'll tell you a story. By the way, what took you so long?" Nicole's voice brought him from his internal musing, as she patted the empty space on the floor next to her.

Alec wondered where all his anger and frustration had gone. It would be so much easier to yell at them if they wouldn't set up the most bizarre situations so early in the day. Sighing, Alec finally gave in and sat on the floor.

"This better be a good and logical story or none of you will have any kind of spare time the next three weeks. And Finn, loose the wig. It's...creepy."

"So true, blond is definitely not my color. It doesn't favor my skin or my eyes. But before you start on the future list of punishment, pain and torture, you need to know all the facts and who better to explain those than our lovely SIC." Finn replied, placing the wig over Biggs' hair.

The latter complained instantly shaking his head until the blond thing fell on the floor.

"Aren't you forgetting something Finn? Let's see…uh oh yes the chains!"

"Not really. The boss here complained about my wig not your chain situation. Therefore the chains stay. Now keep quiet boy, its story time!"

Alec couldn't help but smirk at the antics of his first and second Lieutenants. He doubted they will ever mature according to their age and also wondered if he might need to start worrying about Finn's never ending stock of women accessories. Where the hell did he score the blond wig? Nicole's voice was once again his ticket back to reality.

"Last night, as all of us remember, we successfully completed the Harrison's mission. As an obvious result of working in two separate teams some of us had to write a more extensive report than others. So, in order to save some time, Finn and I traded notes and wrote down our report about the pretty gadgets we saw inside the facilities. We also started to check and order the data downloaded and... Well, it took us a while to complete it".

"It's probably the first time I ever started a report of my own will, without external advice." Finn complained, cutting on the story.

"Quiet Finn!... So we finished about 03:30 and left my computer at the kitchen table. We didn't send the data because we usually do that when all the reports are done. At 04:45, Biggs here decided to go the kitchen, apparently for a glass of water but because my computer seemed to be lonely he decided to give it company..."

"You shouldn't have left the damn thing lying around if you didn't want it to be used," Biggs replied.

"Hush. I'm not sure how it happened, Biggs might provide you the details on that, but the computer ended up crashing on the floor, which woke Finn up who ran downstairs and apparently surprised Biggs whose glass of water fell from the table and over my laptop making the poor thing fry its circuits. Finn yelled, I woke up, came downstairs and agreed to be part of the 'We-Hate-Biggs' party here. That's basically the story." Nicole stared at Alec during the last part, stifled a yawn, and rested her head over Alec's shoulder

"Just for once guys could we try and behave like the normal and mature 13 year old soldiers we are. We leave at 1900; I expect reports completed by that time, and the computer to be repaired." Alec rose from the floor and offered his hand to Nicole, muttering close to her ear. "Come on, let's go back to sleep for a couple of hours."

She nodded and took his hand as she stood up; she ruffled Biggs' hair and smirked at Finn before walking outside and into his room.

"I'm trusting that you two won't kill each other in the next four hours. Correct?" Alec asked both of them.

"You take away all the fun."

Green eyes shined in mischief and Alec couldn't help but sigh at Finn's attempt to look chastised.

"Can I get out of the chains?" Biggs asked tiredly

"Apologize first" Finn replied stubbornly.

"I'm sorry. Are you happy now?"

Finn seemed to ponder this for a couple of seconds before sighing.

"Nope, that's the worst apology I've ever heard, but because I'm a good boy I'll let it pass only this time. Ah, here's a good tip for you, stay away from her tech devices. You, my friend seem to be cursed. Last month it was her PDA, then her cell phone and now the laptop"

"And one more thing Finn, no more singing...ever" Alec finished as he walked out leaving both guys to clean up the mess.

As he entered what had been his temporary bedroom, he couldn't help but smile at the sight. She was already fast asleep, her right arm hanging from the side of the bed and brown locks partially covering her face.

Sneaking into his room had been a habit of her since she was seven. Whenever she was restless or couldn't sleep, she'd end up with him. They were more than just the CO and SIC of the Elite, they had been best friends since he could remember. She was impulsive and fearless; perfection was her average and the reason why she held the position as SIC. And, despite the fact that Nicole is quite capable of taking care of herself, she still feels safe with him. Alec's aware that besides him, Finn is the only other person she allows to hold her.

Looking briefly at the clock he muttered a curse, the neon numbers blinked back at him announcing that is already 06:34 in the morning. He slides under the covers and feels her turning her body around in order to lay her head on his chest. Alec smiled again as he breathed in the vanilla scent of her hair and kisses it lightly. There is nothing he wouldn't do to keep his unit safe and there's nothing he wouldn't sacrifice to keep her safe.

He knows he has to have a masochist bone inside his body because his last coherent thought is that his missions wouldn't be half as fun without his crazed unit members.

His eyes are starting to open against his own will, he wants desperately to remain there but the image is dissolving itself in his mind. He looks around and for a moment is utterly confused and not quite convinced about the place where he is right now. For a couple of seconds he's not sure about his age anymore and wonders if he's not thirteen again; half expecting to feel the light weight of her head laying on his shoulder. Just for an instant he can swears that he smells the soft vanilla scent and the comfort and peace that she brought to him.

Reality strikes in the form of sound and slowly he feels his mind starting to regain conscious. Knowledge seems to fall from his grasp...

_Who were they? He remembers their names, X5's for sure, but he can't remember seeing any of them inside Manticore.  
__When did all of that happen? He has no clues about it; he can't remember when or better yet, how?  
__What was going on? At the age of 13 or 14 he hadn't been in long term outside missions without external surveillance. _

Alec stops his thought, trying to savor for a little bit more the dream, wishing it was real. Although if the dream was real then the life he is living is more screwed than what he originally thought.

'Jaws' music sounded again through his apartment, breaking at once the silence in the room and his concentration on replaying the dream in every detail is taking place in his mind for later recollection.

Conscious state of mind had made its entrance and after glancing at his wrist he discovers that his short nap after getting from work had actually taken more than two hours; doubling checking his watch he growls, is about 20:20 pm.

Jumping from the sofa he starts the scavenger hunt for his cell phone. By the time he eventually found it, six warnings of sharks had passed, and Max had already given up on getting a hold of him. He remembers now that he was really bored when he decided to personalize the tunes for all his contacts, and really, who could blame him about choosing Jaws music for Max, it just seemed to fit her.

Another day, another fragment of a life he has no memory of having or at least he had not had until two weeks ago. It started on a Thursday morning with brief flashbacks of faces he didn't know and lately had developed in full dreams. The recurrent theme so far had been his childhood. He has always hated not having all the information. Correct Intel was power and he despises the feeling of weakness that surrounds him about these dreams.

He was trying to figure it out; piece by piece the puzzle will begin to have a form it was a matter of time, patience and self reassurance that he was not driving himself crazy.

There were only two possible reasons for these dreams; the first one was based on the fact that he might be suffering a mental break down. The image of 493's trail of dead bodies made him shudder, and for a minute he wondered if his twin had gone down the same path he had just started. The second theory is more elaborated; it implies brainwashing, re-indoctrination and lots of drugs pumped in his body to make him believed that he is somebody else. However, if one considers what Manticore is capable of, that scenario doesn't seem so impossible anymore.

Still, how can you forget a whole different life?

The dreams are too vivid, too detailed to be a figment of his imagination. He's capable of describing the people he dreams about from the designation numbers to the personality traits.

Glancing to look at the watch he sighed, wonder of wonders... it is 21:00 already. He grabs his wallet, phone and jacket before walking out of his temporary residence with an address in mind.

The air in the street is cooling down. He definitely needs a drink and to stop thinking about these dreams. Maybe he is going crazy. At least that possibility is less painful than realizing that you have been living a lie.

Alec walks fast, almost colliding with a man walking out of the building next of his. Muttering an apology, he continues without even glancing at him.

Gray eyes looked back as his figure fades around the block, waiting until he's completely out of view before pulling a phone from his pocket and pressing a number on speed dial.

"He's on his way. It's beginning." His voice is flat and emotionless; but his eyes betray his façade. Those gray orbs have a mixed look of sadness and hope as he presses a button ending the call.

_to be continued_


	3. The Art of Deceiving

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** Chapters from 01 to 04 had been reposted, due the fact that now I have a Beta Reader who did the amazing job of correcting grammar errors and typos on the texts.  
Thanks to Kita for the great job.

* * *

_**Chapter 2  
**__**The Art of Deceiving**_

_X5–__478_ kept his gaze fixed on the empty street. The dark, heavy clouds were briefly illuminated by a lightning bolt crossing the sky, seconds later the reverberating sound of thunder can be heard. Raindrops started to fall over the city and the storm has just begun.

Being in Seattle was the last thing he wanted to do. The city was a permanent reminder of all the things that have gone wrong and Neil couldn't help the feeling of disappointment as his former CO and friend walked past him, no recognition on his face, not really seeing him. Consciously he knew that 494 had no clue about him or the others, not yet anyway.

And still he was hoping for a different first encounter. Even he forgot that sometimes hopes are just not enough.

He's been struggling with his memory for the last fifteen minutes and at the end he wasn't capable to remember a single time when 494 had looked so lost, so confused, so not himself.

Disappointment turned into anger, and anger made an appearance in the form of golden flecks shinning in the gray blue of his irises. His was the expression of a predator ready to attack, the signature of all the Prometheus' children.

If things had went his way, they would have left Seattle days ago, even if that would have implied sedate and kidnap Alec.

It hadn't been the case.

And his plan had not been approved.

God only knows how long it will take until they finally undo what they did on 494. Neil has always being known for his stoic and calm behavior, losing his temper only in extreme circumstances. Considering their current situation, patience will definitely be his greater ally

He arrived six days ago and his relationship with the city had clearly evolved. Although not exactly on what people may call positive terms.

He strongly disliked the city during his first two days, sincerely hated it the following three, right now he was despising it with all his force.

Of course, in return Seattle decided to mirror his feelings; it had been raining cats and dogs every single day. The city apparently had decided to fashion a weepy mood.

May used to say that things in life always seem to follow a pattern, a previous established design and no matter how hard you fight against them, there will be things in your destiny that are bounded to happen.

For every action there's always a reaction waiting to be unleash. Neil can feel that now it's only a matter of time.

His stare got lost looking at the puddles of muddy water; the street pale lights were reflected on the water surface creating small mirrors along the sidewalk. Rain has always being a contradiction in his life, his best and worst memories were related to it.

As the rain keeps falling down the number of people outside started to decrease. Less and less souls were willing to defy the power of the storm.

By now he's completely soaked, not that it really matters anyway…he's not going to get sick for spending time under the rain, at least he's not giving the damn city the satisfaction of getting him sick.

Pissed of? Hell yeah  
Sick? Not in this lifetime.

He's not only an X5 but also an Elite member, he's better than the average even among their own kind. 'Better than the rest'…it was quite ironic how being 'better' became both, a blessing and a curse for them.

The sound of laughter across of the street brought Neil out of his reverie. Two kids were walking on the opposite sidewalk; jumping in every puddle they found, laughing every time theirs shoes stepped in the puddles.

A quick glance to his watch let him know that is almost ten. It's late for kids to be playing on the outside, although the same rules don't apply if you're homeless, which seems to be the case by the look of their soaked dirty clothes.

They're young, around seven and eight years old and judging for their looks probably related, maybe siblings.

The world is their playground and the rain their new toy, both things thankfully came for free for those who don't care about money.

Happiness for kids is usually based on the simple things.

In his personal experience it's not that children are always happy, the carefree life with no worries at all is more a fairytale than a reality. Children do worry and have their own issues; it is fact that shouldn't be denied, but as usual grown ups treasured their fairytales more than kids do.

Some days he really missed his childhood days when the problems they faced were not as complicated as now, when he had the ability to let go of responsibilities and forget for hours or days about them. It seems to be inevitable that as you grow up you loose that ability.

Despite everything that happened in those years, he did have a happy childhood. All of them did, even if it wasn't a normal one. After all, none of them were your average kids and normalcy was overrated.

He learned from Alec a long time ago that sometimes pretending is not as bad as people may think. Sure, it wasn't the real thing, but sometimes it felt damn close to it. And once in a while when you last expected and if you were lucky enough the lie might become true.

_

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_

**_December 26__th__, 2009_**

'_Due the amount of snow that had been falling over the city during the last five days the main roads and air terminals had been closed. It's expected that the weather conditions will remain the same for at least three more days.' A shot of a snow covered highway is shown as a background for the young correspondent covering the note. _

The voice of the reporter drifted in the silent room, none of the three occupants glanced at the flat screen panel and yet all of them had been paying close attention to the news. The youngest one picked up the remote control and turned off the television; two pairs of eyes followed his movements but refrained to comment on anything.

The street in front of the house was covered completely with a white blanket. A snowman stood bravely by the front door, defying the wind and guarding the house from strangers. A pair of reading glasses had been carefully placed over its face along with an old moth-eaten top hat.

Inside of the house, two kids sat on the sofa near the window watching silently as the snowflakes kept falling down. A man in his early sixties sat on a couch near the boys, a book laid open over his lap along with his own reading glasses, which seem strangely similar to the ones on the snowman.

The old man was Peter McAllister and the boys were Alec and Neil his grandchildren, or at least the kids whom had been pretending to be his grandchildren.

The quiet atmosphere was broken by the ringing of a cell phone, the exchange between Alec and whoever was on the other side lasted no more than 20 seconds. Hazel eyes looked right into the old man's blue ones as a smile started to form on his lips.

Neil couldn't help but smile as well; it's quite entertaining to watch Alec and Peter's antics as they started planning the activities for their prolonged stay.

He was well aware of the identity of the person who called Alec. Their handler for the current mission, Colonel Ford, had probably made official the delay of their return. With air traffic transport canceled, coming back to base was pretty much off limits. An alternative route could have been used, but a pair of kids wandering alone in the city considering the weather conditions will only attract unwanted attention. The Committee decision in this cases was expected, Alec and Neil will remain in the city until further notice. They had three more days before going back, give it or take it according to the weather report.

Neil remembered Peter McAllister's priceless expression when he found out that his life lay in the experimented hands of two kids. The old man might not have been ready to admit it then, but the information the NSA provided him had been 100 accurate, at least technically speaking.

McAllister personal security was going to be handled by two experimented agents with six years of training and more than two years of experience on field operations. Technically all of those facts were correct, the agency conveniently forgot to mention the operatives' age, a really small detail.

According to the mission profile Peter McAllister was a 62 year old business man, incisive and tough, a true member of the old school. McAllister's company had provided special services to different organizations within the government, and despite his close collaboration on classified projects the man had remained true to his own values. Peter had something others lost long time ago, he still got his soul.

Three weeks ago McAllister started to receive threats against his life, due his position inside the government the matter was taking first by the Secret Service and then by the NSA, it was the latter who contacted Prometheus' Committee requesting the agency collaboration.

It wasn't the first time both organizations worked together; usually their previous interactions never exceed a three-day period and were basically focused on surveillance and retrieval support. For this assignment the rules of engagement were going to be different, for a starter the mission was expected to last three weeks.

Paul McAllister, Peter's only son, had been missing for more than 15 years. There had been some rumors about his whereabouts in different islands of the Pacific, but those had never been confirmed. The NSA used that piece of information to create the perfect cover identity for them as the offspring from the prodigal son, whom were sent by the strained father to spend the holydays with their grandfather.

For outsiders the situation could be read as Paul's attempt to re-establish contact with his own father.

As expected, the Committee granted the NSA request and placed Colonel Ford as the mission handler. In order to make the illusion complete the soldiers needed to share physical characteristics with McAllister, light brown or blond hair and light colored eyes.

X5 – 401 and X5 – 402 whom were siblings and the perfect match for the job were currently on a mission somewhere in the middle of Texas and wouldn't be able to make it on time due the exposure of their exit corridor.

X5 – 529 and X5 – 629 current mission on a children traffic affair in LA had developed a couple of branch missions and they had gone into dark approach stage a day ago without a confirmation of possible return to base.

X5 – 494 and X5 – 501 had came back from an mission during that week, Biggs dark looks didn't match for the profile but Alec's did and suddenly he X5 – 478 had found himself assigned to his first long term undercover assignment.

It was easier to pretend to be someone else for a day or maybe two; it was practically a game, one that Neil had been very good at playing in short term periods. Until then he had never needed to use the same identity for more than two days. Considering the situation, Alec requested to use their own names for the mission claiming that it would be easier for 478 to adjust into the profile.

When things became awkward, Alec had appeared and saved the moment making it look like Neil serious personality was the main reason for his brother strange behavior.

The easy going banter and spoiled attitude adopted by Alec plus the boyish looks had fitted him best as the younger sibling, the ten year old Alexander McAllister. Neil had been stuck with the older brother part due his more serious behavior, which helped to cover his lack of practice on pretending to be a carefree brat.

The mission was not designed to test their abilities as soldiers per se; after all, the physical situations they encountered were minimal. Therefore, it wasn't a physical but a mental evaluation, testing their abilities to become someone else without raising any kind of suspicious.

Later, 478 learned that in Alec's case there had been a secondary profile. The Committee was informed of the high level of performance on undercover missions displayed by Alec; still they needed to make sure that as the CO, 494, will be able to keep his emotions under control despite the circumstances without compromising the mission.

When the Committee approved and executed an evaluation, they made sure to consider all the possible scenarios, people involved with the subject, fears, weakness, every little thing that made that person tic was taken on account in order to create his or her worst nightmare.

Neil was also conscious that as members of the Elite the trials and expectations for all of them will always be higher than the average, considering that fact he really shouldn't have being surprised with the Committee actions' regarding his CO on this specific mission.

He highly doubted on his own survival if he was to be in Alec's place, the control and coldness portrayed by 494 during those days had both frightened and amazed him in equal parts.

Nevertheless, the mission prime target had been accomplished. Alexander and Neil McAllister performance as the grandchildren of Peter McAllister had passed with flying colors, every person inside McAllister's social and business circle was convinced of their relationship.

The treat against Peter's life has been removed and taken care during the first week; the additional time they spent in Aspen had been courtesy of the Committee fascination with mind games.

December 15th marked officially the beginning of Alec's evaluation. Col. Ford informed him that 401 and 402's mission had been compromised and was currently on black condition, a retrieval team was going to be send. The situation wasn't better for 529 and 629, in order to get the additional Intel needed and following direct orders from the Committee both operatives were currently inside of the children traffic ring as the last acquisition.

The following five days Alec received ten calls from Ford, and the news went from bad to worst every single time.

The early morning of December 20th Col. Ford informed him about the success of the retrieval team, confirming that 401 and 402 were back at the base, however the relief of knowing that Kevin and CC were back lasted only a couple of hours.

On December 21st the assignment and all things related to it stopped making sense for Alec, for six seconds the young CO lost control of his emotions. It was Biggs who called Alec to inform him that 529 had been severely injured and was in the ICU unit, Finn was in a profound comma and the doctors didn't think he will make it through. Nicole arrived in a worst condition, lungs collapsed, massive blood loss and severe trauma; she died that morning during the surgery.

On December 21st Neil had been the silent witness of Alec's despair; saw for the first time as fear crept into his friend and commanding officer's eyes.

Time is by definition a basis component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the duration of them and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects.

Time can fly from your hands or take forever to advance. Neil grasped the concept as a whole by watching Alec during the McAllister assignment.

It took 6 seconds for 494 to rebuild his mask after he got Biggs' call informing him of his SIC death.

It took 30 minutes for Peter McAllister to find, comfort and reassure Alec that somehow things will be ok.

It took 96 hours for Col. Ford to make the call informing 494 that the mission had been successfully completed and both his First Lieutenant and his SIC were alive.

96 hours that Alec spent in hell with a smile in his face for the sake of the mission.

* * *

Peter McAllister was feeling grateful for being alive.

During the last weeks he had wondered if the threats to his life had been real or made up by the same people who had protected him. He couldn't help the feeling of uncertainty regarding the true intentions of the NSA. He stopped believing on the government a long time ago.

Despite the circumstances, the experience of meeting the boys at this point of his life made him realize all the things he missed. Time waits for no man and in his case it was too late for regrets regarding his lack of a relationship with his own son.

Both kids were looking at the street, watching as the snow flakes fall upon the trees. Alec's eyes were lost in the distance and Neil's were focused on Alec.

During the past three weeks Peter had learned a little bit about these soldiers kids, despite the younger faces and childish attitude their eyes don't lie. Those eyes spoke volumes if one knows how to read them.

It scared him a little how easy it had been to pretend that Alec was indeed his own blood.

During the first week, he had been under the suspicious that Neil was in charge; the kid was reserved and sober, exactly the opposite of Alec's behavior whose antics had kept him entertained on daily basis.

That impression changed in only two minutes…

_December 21__st  
Patricia and Mark __Hollister Residence_

The three of them were attending a dinner at the Hollister's. After the dessert had been served Alec's phone started to ring making the boy having to excuse himself from the table.

Peter gaze followed his grandchild as he took the call, and despite the ten feet distance between them he knew that something was wrong. The boy's face had paled instantly and his eyes looked empty, void of any kind of emotion. He muttered something to the person on the line and for a second or two there was a spark of hope in his irises, after hearing the reply he closed the phone forcefully, his fingers grasped the device hard enough that his knuckles were turning white.

Peter had watched silently as the ten year old took exactly six seconds to breathe in and rebuild the mask of happiness, starting from the sparkling hazel eyes to the childish smirk. When he turned to look at him his face held no traces of concern.

He had been working with the government for a long time, and had only seen Alec's behavior in experimented agents; in order to display such level of self control the person in question needed practice, years of practice in real situations cause sometimes training was not enough.

Alec was only ten years old turning eleven in five months. Peter realized that his first impression was not accurate; the agent in charge wasn't Neil, it had always been Alec.

McAllister had waited patiently as five minutes passed on before leaving the conversation of his group of friends, there were far more important things in life than who was the last victim of an insurance scam, for example, searching for his missing and troubled grandchild.

Peter found Alec in a different wing of the house; the room was only illuminated by the pale moon light, his small figure hardly occupying the bench in front of the grand piano, fingers flying over the keys in a slow tempo. Eyes not focused on the music sheet, mind miles away.

Alec chose this room in order to avoid the red flicking lights of the cameras, he and Neil counted fifteen of them, hidden in six different rooms of the Hollister residence and while rich people might be extravagant that number of cameras could only mean that the Committee had something to do on it. There was only one camera inside of this room and because of the angle and his short height he knew that they wouldn't be able to see his face on the frame.

Even with his mind lost in a sea of confusion Alec always needed to regard with care his actions, especially if people were watching him. He was aware of the mind games the Committee had been playing with him; like in a chess game each opponent had adopted his own strategy waiting for the other to make a single mistake. If it would have been Ford who called him, the news wouldn't have struck him like that. If it would have been Ford, he could have believed that the Intel was mistaken.

The problem was that it hasn't been Ford. It was Biggs who called, Biggs whom explained in less than a minute the events. Biggs and not Ford. The Committee movement has been flawless by choosing to use his Second Lieutenant as the messenger. _Check_

Peter was starting to get worried, he had been sitting next to Alec for ten minutes and the boy had failed to acknowledge his presence. His fingers stroked the keys with a passion he hadn't seen before on someone as young as him. Gently placing a hand on his shoulder he tried to bring him back, to pull him out of his shocked state.

Alec stopped playing the moment he felt Peter's hand on his shoulder, resting his fingers over the keys without stroking them down

'Penny for your thoughts?' the grave voice asked softly.

'Not even you had so much money, and there some things that are better left unsaid. Besides, you're aware of the whole "Classified" Intel rule'.

Alec's sarcastic reply was not unexpected by Peter after all the boy did have a tendency to provide vague answers most part of the time, but, two could play the same game.

'I have no idea of what you're talking about boy' Peter snorted and his reply was followed by a soft path on the shoulder.

If it would have been someone else calling him "boy" Alec probably would have already kicked him. But, and there was another big 'but' for him, the comment had been made by Peter and during the mission he discovered that even if it was a fake grandfather he had a soft spot for the old man.

'She likes when I play for her. She's unable to play a single note on a piano, not even if her life depends on it.' His voice was hoarse with evident pain, sadness, anger and frustration; he was trying to control the impulse of screaming at the top of his lungs, or crying, or maybe both.

At this point Alec was not quite sure of what was he feeling anymore. _"She can't be gone, she just can't"_. He had been repeating it in his mind since he got the call, hoping that it's an error and any minute now they will call him again denying the facts. Thirty minutes had passed and his hopes are crashing down, no one was calling.

Peter was looking at the forgotten music sheet, Alec's reply was an advance as the kid revealed a bit of the problem in the typical Alec's way, and for now he suspected that is the most he's going to get from him. He couldn't forget even if he wanted that Alec has been raised to be in control all the time, to never allow his true emotions show, he wasn't your average ten year old kid and his problems were far from childish.

Six years of training couldn't change the fact that Alec was still a kid, a kid who still needed to learn how to face deceptions and overcome the trials of his life. A life that was full of expectations and responsibilities, a life that demanded a cold approach on his part.

'You're a smart kid; you'll find a way to beat them on their own game. It may not be today or next week, but you will do It.' and Peter was quite sure that Alec eventually will make it through.

'I like to believe that. Even if is not true.' Alec replied and in an unconsciously movement leaned against Peter's solid frame.

Just for once the boy let the walls fell down. 'Only this time' he repeated himself silently. And just this time he leaned on someone who's not part of his team, on someone foreign to the Elite.

He closed his eyes and pretended that indeed he's just a ten year old and the man next to him is indeed part of his family and cared about him. He convinced himself the Intel they gave him is wrong, and he hasn't lost her, not yet…not ever if he can help it.

Pretending everything was ok, believing everyone was ok.

Peter felt the light weight at his right side and placed his arm around Alec, giving the boy a soft squeeze, trying to make him feel that at least for now, he could count on him, that for now it was Peter's task to protect him.

It was selfish on his part and he knew it, but he couldn't help but enjoy the moment as much as possible. He closed his bright blue eyes and let himself believe that the brave kid next to him is indeed his grandchild.

Pretending he had a family to look and take care for, believing that it was real.

The moment has lasted only a few minutes, however it felt longer. Both the man and the boy smiled as they looked at each other, there's a silent understanding between them.

Alec notice for the first time the music sheet in front of him as his fingers started playing the first notes of Chopin's Moonlight

* * *

Neil had silently watched the scene from the doorstep, neither Peter nor Alec seemed to realize they're being observed. For a second he felt like he's intruding on a very intimate moment.

The rapport between Peter and Alec had been noticeable from the first moment, and while the old man showed care and affection toward him, it was Alec who had brightened up McAllister life.

"Preference" had been a concept that threw Neil out of the loop for the first time in his life. It took him a day to recognize the feeling as jealousy. He had felt so out of place during that day that Alec had to spend all the time with him in order to avoid any kind of error on his part.

Unable to let it go, he had finally mustered enough courage to ask his CO about it. He was still amazed that Alec hasn't kicked him for the implication of his questioning.

_December 13__th_

A fidgeting Neil stood in next to Alec, who was currently entertained on working on the final details of "Nero" the snowman both of them built that morning.

'I need to ask you a question'. And, at that moment Neil questioned his own sanity. His voice had just sounded unsure and doubtful; his body was already expressing his disagreement with this particular idea.

'Sure bro, shoot'. Alec didn't turn away from his task on observing what else Nero might need. His fingers forming a shot frame while he squinted at the snowman.

'Why does McAllister like you better?'

Alec stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, as if he was counting the seconds needed to move every muscle he finally turned around and looked straight at Neil. Seconds turned into minutes, silence became heavy, and neither of them looked away.

For the people who watched at them it was a simple disagreement between kids.

For Alec, the time was a blessing which gave him a moment for ordering his thoughts and come up with a valid answer. He couldn't help but think how come he always get stuck with the sensitive questions?

For Neil, those were the longest five minutes of his life; the feeling of stupidity was heavy on his chest. After all who in his right mind questioned his CO about something so trivial like that?

Alec sighed and their gazes finally drifted apart.

'There's not a real answer to that…Actually, there are no rules to explain why people care or like some more than others. First impressions, looks, right time and place, there's not a formulae that works on every case. For this mission I will say that is the fact that I had more experience than you in this kind of assignments. I've been pretending been an average kid longer than you…'

'Do they always like you? I mean during the other missions?'

Alec laughed at that, smirk once again present on his face; the formal gesture from seconds ago is part of the past now, throwing an arm around Neil's shoulder he answered on a low voice.

'It isn't an everyday occasions that in a long term assignment you need to interact with someone like Peter McAllister. Most part of the time is better if they don't like or care much about you, or better if they completely ignore you; usually it's safer that way.'

Both kids smiled at the comment, the stress of the two previous days started to evaporate. Another hour is spent on the snowman that now wears Peter's old top hat and reading glasses.

'You know Neil; sometimes pretending that something is the real thing isn't such a bad thing.' Alec's voice sounded casual as they rub their hands trying to keep them warm.

The snowman incident had been a couple of days ago, and now Alec's words replayed on his mind. Maybe pretending wasn't so bad after all.

He knew that something terrible had happened; Alec's instant reaction to the call followed by the tense posture of his body lasted long enough for him to realize the gravity of it.

If there's a word to describe Alec during a mission, that word was 'Control'. 494 never lose control, there's no situation he's not able to handle, and no matter how screw up it gets…his CO never let it affect him.

Seeing Alec and Peter together made him realize that it really didn't matter that 494 is a D1 operative or his status as the CO of the Elite, Alec is just a ten year old kid and unlike himself, 494 was the main responsible for the performance and status of the rest of them at the eyes of the Committee.

Neil wondered if right now Alec is just pretending to be Peter's grandchild or if the lie has conveniently turned itself in the truth… just for the sake of both of them.

The host of the party, Mrs. Hollister stood next to him watching the same scene; her soft words made him smile as she affectionately brush his hair.

'Your grandfather loves both of you dearly. I've never seen Peter look so happy and in peace like he does since you boys arrived'.

'He is the best, isn't he?'

Even he is surprised by his answer. During the whole mission he had been trying to act more naturally and every time he ended up looking exactly the opposite. This time though, the words left his lips without previous thinking.

The lady smiled at him as her hand rested on his shoulder.

He felt at peace at that moment. It didn't matter if it changed in the next hours or in the next days, the future will come despite how much he fought against it, and just for now he was happy with pretending this was the real thing.

Pretending he had a family, pretending there's people who care about him.

* * *

Neil remembered fondly his first long term mission with Alec. They met Peter on that mission and that had been the beginning of a long friendship between Alec and the older man.

Neil knew that Alec made sure to visit McAllister at least twice a year. Alec older self had a lot of Peter's on him. His CO learned to play tennis when he found out that Peter was a remarkable player in his glory days, in exchange Peter learned to enjoy video games at the age of 65 after Alec bought him a PS2.

The relationship between them had only grown stronger with the years and it extended to the rest of the Elite when Alec went missing.

During the McAllister assignment they also met someone else. Someone with enough power to become their best ally in the near future. Who would have thought that Patricia Hollister was above the Committee. Life was full of surprises.

Neil watched as the rain kept falling, he has been back at his apartment for the last two hours and the rain had only become stronger. Right now he couldn't do anything besides waiting. Biggs would be tailing Alec and by the end of the night the next phase would be completed.

And then, things will start to get interesting.


	4. Out of the Shadows

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Chapters from 01 to 04 had been reposted, due the fact that now I have a Beta Reader who did the amazing job of correcting grammar errors and typos on the texts.  
Thanks to Kita for the great job.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3  
****Out of the Shadows**

It was the illusion of being unknown what attracted him to this place.  
It was the need to be surrounded by people without having to answer questions which made him stay.

If he was going to be honest the place was a sad excuse for a bar, dimly illuminated and with air saturated with the smoke of cigars and the stench of beer. At least it had a decent scotch. And for now, that was a good enough reason for him to stay exactly where he was.

Not many people were brave enough to leave the safety of their homes to face the storm falling upon the city; as a result of the weather conditions the bar was currently half full or half empty, it really depended on the eye of the beholder.

For Alec this was a good change from Crash's usual routine. The good thing about being in a place for the first time was the lack of expectations to be fulfilled. Nobody knows or cares about what you do as long as you don't intrude in their lives.

Tonight he didn't have to flirt with every female on the radio; he didn't have to act like the happy-go-lucky-sociopath everyone expected. Right here and now he was able to forget about the daily mask he chose to wear.

At least for a couple of hours, he could be just himself.

Despite the common opinion, responsibility is not something he's incapable of. Therefore, he's not a screw up all the time and he definitely doesn't need a baby sitter watching his back 24/7.

He's a good listener when the occasion calls for it.  
Sometimes he prefers watching people better than interacting with them.  
And wonder of wonders he likes reading specially the classics, although he can't remember when this particular hobby started.

It has always been a matter of choices for him, even before Manticore burned down.

It was his choice lying to Renfro about the "successful copulation", that specific term amuses him even now. There're a lot of things he might be, but he had never forced himself on a girl and he never planned on changing that record, not even for Manticore. The lie has been his decision and probably if the place hadn't been blown away there would have been repercussion on his end.

It had also been his choice not to kill Logan Cale. And Max was aware of that.

After the fire it had been his choice to become the character he's now hiding from. It's not like he's two different people, multiple personalities is not exactly his thing. This side of him, the one he let people became accustomed during the last months is simply easier to keep. He performs according to the world expectations, nothing more and nothing less.

The world labeled him as "a pretty boy" because of the way he looks, he might hate the expression but it fit his own purposes, so he acted as the world expected.

Women accepted the label he already had and added another tag, "the playboy" and once again he performed as expected.

He might play the role of a playboy but he wasn't a cheater, in order to cheat you need to be in an exclusive relationship and that was something he never promised to any of the girls he had been with.

He made a critical mistake, Max saved his life in exchange of her happiness and therefore he became "the screw up and self centered jerk", with Max you always get more than what you expected. And in order to deliver according to the expectations of the public he screws up on small things from time to time, just for the sake of pretenses.

As any regular bio-engineered being he is bounded to make mistakes at some point of his life. He had his fair share of those since Manticore burned down.

Fighting had been so far his worst idea and the only logical explanation he can come up with is the need he felt to rebel against the rules. Max said lay low and he chose not to follow the advice.

It was always a matter of choices with him.

It was his choice to make the deal with White, despite the stupidity of it. It was also his choice to kill the transgenic in the sewers. It was his decision to spare the kid's life, tempting fate and trying to outsmart White. It hadn't exactly worked out as planned; still it was a risk he decided to take.

But, it had been Max's choice to save his life.

He never asked for it and to some degree he felt proud about that. He's not the kind of person who asks for help or request favors, that pat of his personality is also his choice.

He wasn't afraid to die then and he's not afraid now. He made the deal with White not because of fear but for his own convictions. He didn't want to give someone else the power of controlling his death, not White or anyone else. In a way it was a very twisted reasoning, but his arguments were valid to him, and that was what mattered.

He didn't need to explain his motives to someone else; he didn't need people to understand them, to understand him. The latter will imply getting closer to someone and he wasn't interested on that.

Alec raised his glass and looked as the amber liquid reflected the light and its color became more intense. Drowning down the liquor he welcomed the burning taste of alcohol sliding down his throat. He doesn't remember when he started to drink scotch, and now he wonders if it matters.

Apparently there are a lot of things he doesn't remember about himself.

He's not sure what he's seeking, or to express it better, what's catching up with him. He only knows that ever since the dreams started, it's feels like he is being awakened. Things are the same but he looks at them differently. Every night he gets a glimpse of a life he doesn't remember.

The questions remain the same, are all of those memories fragments of something real or just the product of his imagination. Too many pieces are still missing and he can't see the whole picture yet. He only had one corner of the puzzle completed, but there's no way to tell how big is it, or how long will it take him to figure it out.

Only time will tell. And for now he had plenty of it in his hands.

Biggs raised an eyebrow as he looked in Alec's direction. Trust the guy to get himself entertained by looking at a glass. He could bet that the amber liquid is scotch, knowing Alec it will be straight with no ice in order to maintain the original flavor of the malt.

Memory is complex and tricky, it's kind of funny how Alec would unconsciously remember his favorite drink but remain ignorant of the bigger and more important events of his life.

Even now Biggs found hard to believe that merely ten feet away from his table is sitting the man they believed dead. He hasn't changed that much since the last time he saw him, although more than 16 months had passed since that.

At first impression his hair seems to be shorter, but is his eyes that caught Biggs attention; those hazel irises had lost the reckless and indomitable sparkle that used to be Alec's trademark. His friend doesn't look like himself.

What had been planned as a regular assignment suddenly turned out on something completely different, marking the beginning of the end of life as they used to know it.

Alec and Nicole's death was the trigger in a chain of events that were still in motion. It had been surreal, one day they were there, the next one both were reported death. For all the training they had, nothing could have prepared them for something like that.

It took two days for the remaining eight members of the Elite to get back on their feet. It was ironic that it had been Peter McAllister who brought them back to reality. The old man had practically kicked them out and ordered them to do something.

The precise words had been 'Being missing does not equal as being dead. Find the bodies or find them alive, but do something about it'.

Biggs chuckled at that; McAllister was indeed a piece of work.

There was something undeniable about Peter McAllister that makes people look up at him. It didn't matter if you're a genetic enhanced human being, a minister or a beggar, when McAllister gives you an order, you simply follow his command. There wasn't room for questions.

Months of research and investigation had to pass before they were able to grasp the information they had been looking for. In the end they were back where everything had begun, it has always been Manticore.

One good thing about Manticore's employees was their lack of values, it didn't matter if it was a military officer or a technician, for the right price all of them cooperate. And when money was not the correct tool to be used, there were other ways and means to accomplish their goals.

A very bad thing about Manticore was the chain of command regarding classified information. Employees only received the vital information they needed to get their job done. The scattered data they obtained demanded a lot of time to be ordered and classified before they could evaluate if it was useful.

Manticore has been extremely careful erasing the trail of its double-cross game. Employees had been eliminated and files were destroyed. If the events that transpired during the winter of 2018 ever saw the light, the implications will have been a death sentence for the organization and its directors.

The take down attempt on Manticore Wyoming facilities by the same X5's who escaped from there ten years ago had slowed down their advance. Finn and Kevin had wondered at the time, what exactly was the result that the merry group of niners had been looking for.

Later, the demise of the Seattle compound had been a complete mess. If the first attempt made no sense at all, the second was bordering stupidity. The last free voice of America had filtered so much information on the public that all the tabloids of the nation should probably build him a statue as a sign of their gratitude. How Eyes Only didn't consider the power of the media was a mystery. The fragile cover story provided by the government only served to fuel the speculations and rumors, it had been the perfect recipe for a disaster.

Whoever was responsible for the cauterizing of the site had done it without hesitation. The saddest part, if you were a transgenic, had been the amount of victims.

Only 20 of the transgenic population of the facility had survived the fire which could have been translated in around 60 souls. The majority of those belonged to the last X Series. Considering those figures only 10 or 15 of the survivors were part of the earlier series, and maybe it was better that way. Biggs could only imagine the panic that will reign in the city if transgenic with too much animal features started wandering around. It will be chaos ensured.

At the time, Seattle's facility destruction screwed up on their work; the flames destroyed all the saved files regarding the processes applied to the X5's sent to Re-indoctrination. Once again, they lost time and valuable information; but, the scared scientists were easier to track this time.

And finally, they found out half of the story.

They found Alec and the process that was used on him along with the treatment to reverse it.

The process was developed by Robert Fanning, a neurobiologist who worked for Manticore during his entire career. The doctor involvement with Alec's procedure and his deep knowledge of Manticore's latest projects were the main reasons for the inclusion of his name in the Cleaning List. A tragic car accident ended his life during winter the spring of 2019.

Luckily for the Elite, his assistant was alive and became their main source of information.

The mind control process was created to adjust the behavior of the subject by blocking specific parts of the brain using chemical stimuli in conjunction with other elements. Therefore a complete brainwash was no longer needed. The process also allowed the doctors to replace the blocked events with any other kind of information. It required maintenance and every six months a drug cocktail needed to be inoculated on the patient along with regular sessions of ocular therapy.

Manticore also needed to cover up the modifications on Alec's genetic code. Cerebral inhibitors were injected on his blood stream to restrain the enhancements developed by Prometheus' scientists.

The barcode in the back of the neck was the only thing Manticore wasn't able to reproduce by using chemicals suppressors. It had been one of the first things Prometheus eliminated from their DNA code, replacing the sequence by another visual identification a little less controversial. Manticore had to settle with tattooing the black lines of the barcode.

Psychological torture involving the destruction of the subject emotional balance had been applied twice during Alec's stay inside Manticore's walls. The first time it had been along the Fanning process, and the second as a part of a reconditioning process after a failed outside assignment.

They have done their homework and research, and now it was time to start reversing all the processes.

Four months ago Manticore got out of the picture and according to the data they had, Alec spent three days in the medical ward two and a half months before the fire. The lack of ocular therapy diminished the strength of the inhibitors. A couple of weeks ago the chemicals had started to wear off Alec's blood stream. There were still a lot of DNA suppressors on his body and Biggs intended to speed up the process.

Neil had been following Alec during the last week and he reported the changes in his behavior. They believed that he was slowly regaining his memory. Now they needed to provide the physical evidence to sustain the memories.

Biggs' task for the night was to deliver the first of a three shots series.

The only visible mark of the chemical cocktail designated to eliminate the cerebral inhibitors will be a small red dot, which will fade in a couple of hours. The needle will go through layers of clothes, enter the epidermis and deliver the mix directly in his blood stream.

The side effects of the shot were not critical. Thirty minutes after the shot, Alec might feel a mild fever that will pass within two hours. And then it will begin, first with the re-appearance of the tattoo on his right shoulder blade, Prometheus' symbol for all the Elite members.

Four hours later his sight, hearing and smell senses will be enhanced.

Six hours later his speed and strength will have surpassed the X5 average values.

The complexities of the process applied had forced them to work individually on each of them. While it was true that they could have pumped all the drugs at once, the risk of compromising his brain and heart was too high. They needed to be patient and go step by step. In the first stage the physical inhibitors will go down, and then once he was stable they will continue with the psychological part.

Biggs watched as Alec talked on his phone and smirked at something the other person said. The expression of the cat that ate the canary was present on his face, and for a second Biggs saw a glimpse of the real Alec.

A couple of minutes later Alec left some bills on the counter and walked to the door.

Biggs' lips curved on a smile. That was the signal he had been waiting for.

Let the games begin.

It's been a while since he enjoyed a quiet night.

The Jaws tune startled him and Alec couldn't help but sigh. He will never hear the end of it if he keeps ignoring Max's calls. With a suffered expression he retrieves his phone from his jacket and subdued to accept fate designs.

'What's up Max?'

'Where the hell are you? I've been calling to your cell all night' There's a tone in her voice that told him she's more bored than angry at him.

'Why the sudden interest Maxie?' He can't help it, getting her riled up had officially become his latest hobby.

'Who said it was me. Logan needs some help'

'And that concern me because…'

'Because this is EO stuff and two people of our kind are better than one, besides you own me.' Brief and straight to the point, typically Max.

'What do I get from it?'

'The notion that you will be doing something good for someone else besides yourself'

'Funny Max, but you know that I couldn't care less about the white knight complex. Let's say you help me with my own two-man-job, it's a piece of cake, in and out. And you get the 30. What you say?'

'40' Yeah, sure Max. No way in hell.

'You called me, not the other way around'

'Fine 35'

'Come on Max, my offers is way better than yours. Admit it.'

'God I hate you. Fine I get 30 of the fence. Now get your ass down here'

'Pleasure making business with you'

He can't help the smile that creeps on his face. Max should have already learned that he doesn't play the white knight for nothing. Not when someone else is going to get the credits and not if it means getting soaked on a storm night.

He asked the barkeeper for the last scotch of the night, drinking it in a single shot. He left the money on the counter plus a good tip. The guy had been his kind of barkeeper, the kind who doesn't like to engage in small talk. Maybe he will come back to this place.

Alec walked to the entrance only to collide with a girl who fell over him successfully making him loose his balance. In order to avoid his own fall he stepped back and bumped on a guy standing behind him who had stood up from his table trying to help the girl.

In the distance, he heard a clunk as a metal tray hit the floor followed by a loud crash as bottles and mugs got smashed as well.

There's a small prickle on his left shoulder, but he didn't have time to react. He's distracted by the girl's apologies as she straightens up his shirt and jacket. She's barely a teenager and probably this was her first day. He only nodded and smiled, reassuring her that there's nothing wrong with him.

By the time he turned around he saw the same guy picking up the girl's tray and placing on it the shattered pieces of glass. His face is partially hidden by the position and he can't make out the guy's face.

Alec touched lightly his shoulder, massaging the spot where he felt the prickle. It's weird but it doesn't hurt at all. Shrugging it off, he walked outside the bar. He still needs to check with Logan and Max.

Biggs smiled at the young girl trying to calm her down, it was a good thing that he was the one carrying the tray considering the way she was trembling. He told her that he will pay for all the things that were broken when she fell down, when she looked suspicious at him he simply clarified that he had a younger sister who used to work in a bar. The explanation seemed to appease her doubts.

He left out the real reason. He's feeling a little bit guilty about the whole thing; after all, it was the small metallic sphere that he dropped on the floor as she passed by what caused her fall. Her reaction couldn't have been better; she successfully distracted Alec and gave him the access and time needed to accomplish his goal. Everything was going according to the plan.

Biggs walked out of the bar ten minutes later; taking out his cell phone he dialed Neil's number.

He only waited two rings before Neil answered.

'Stage One has been completed successfully'

'Terrific, have you tagged him?'

'No need, I know where he's going'

'Need back up?'

'Neil, are you really offering yourself to do surveillance from a roof top on a stormy night? You hate rain.'

'I'm in a happy mood, don't get used to'

'Figures, meet me at the building across Foggle Towers'

'Fine'

Biggs laughed inwardly and played with the idea of calling Finn or CC to let them now about the advance they had tonight. At the last moment he chose not. It was too soon, Neil and him still needed to complete the surveillance for the next six hours.

He wondered how the rest of them were doing; it's been four days since his last a meeting with Finn, CC or Kevin. He needed an update on the current status of everyone else. During the last 16 months their main activity has been finding out what happened that day; however, it didn't mean that they stopped participating on missions they considered relevant.

The current command line inside the Elite, or D1 as they called it, moved Finn and himself to the positions of CO and SIC, leaving CC and Kevin as 1st and 2nd Lieutenants.

The last time he checked on them Kevin and May were still on Helsinki, Seth and Mark had been coordinating a retrieval mission with the MI5 in Sydney.

By now, CC and Finn should be wrapping up the situation in Osaka, it will probably take at least two weeks and then they will be flying back to the US to meet him and Neil in Seattle.

Slowly things were going back to normalcy.

By the time Alec arrived at Logan's apartment he was completely soaked and utterly pissed off. Most part of the people do not enjoy spending long periods of time under the rain, Alec wasn't an exception to the rule.

Lately, he had come to hate the feeling of wet clothes in contact with his body. He guessed that if he would be on a mission he could deal with it because his mind would focus on the environment and not on himself. Right now he wished there were any external elements diverting his attention, making him think in something else besides the way his clothes felt against his body.

It wasn't the water per se which made him uncomfortable; it was the similarity of water and blood that his mind came up with. Water soaked fabrics clanged to his body in the same way they did when soaked in blood. He really can't help the shivers that go through his body or the way the hair in the back of his neck stands. He hates the scent of blood, the scent of death heavy in the air. He hates that his mind is the one playing tricks on him now.

The elevator ride took an eternity in reaching the Penthouse; usually he wouldn't have minded but today the faster he could get the clothes of his body, the better he will be feeling.

He picked the lock in seconds and walked inside of the other man's apartment as if it was his own, eventually he found the couple in Logan's office.

'Can I have a towel?' His voice was horse and he assumed that is just a result of the time he just spent under the rain.

'You look like a drowned rat'

'Thanks Max, I feel better now. Back to the towel topic…'

'Bathroom is on the second door, help yourself'

'Thanks'

Alec's exit of the room is not as graceful as usual; if so it's looks rushed and clumsy. A water trail has been left on the floor and carpet, with small puddles in the place were he stood.

'Does he seem off to you?' Logan couldn't recall seeing Alec looking uncomfortable about anything, it was intriguing him.

'It's raining cats and dogs out there; I'm surprised he actually came' Max looked in the direction of the door, it really surprised her that he came. If it wouldn't have been Logan who called her, she won't have left her apartment. The job Alec had on mind must really be worth it to drag him on a night like this.

Alec discarded his jacket and shake it off, leaving it over the sink where it had better chances to get dry. He will need it when he goes back to his place. His t-shirt is a lost cause; the cotton piece is soaked beyond return. For now he will settle with the towel, after all he's not sure that Logan will appreciate to have him parading half naked in his apartment.

Despite being in front of a mirror he missed the faint marks over his right shoulder blade. If he would have paid attention he would have noticed the design that was slowly appearing on his skin. Only he didn't.

Throwing the bath towel over his shoulders he decided that it was time to learn what was Eyes Only needed this time around.

Two figures stood up on the rooftop of a building, their silhouettes were hidden in the shadows. The pair was focused on watching the apartment across the street.

'I'm wet'

'Really? And here I thought that was usually the girl's line. I'm flattered, this is a first but you know I don't swing that way.'

'Funny, you're a comedian now.'

'Come on Neil, you walked on that one by yourself. Besides I told you I could do this myself, you offered coming'

'Momentary insanity, it won't happen again.'

'None of us enjoy the drowned-rat-look, quit the bitching and endure it like a man.'

'Biggs?'

'Yeah'

'Shut up'

A chuckled was heard followed by a thump as hand connected with the back of a head.


	5. The Face in the Mirror

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Chapters from 01 to 04 had been reposted, due the fact that now I have a Beta Reader who did the amazing job of correcting grammar errors and typos on the texts.  
Thanks to Kita for the great job.

* * *

**Chapter 4  
****The Face in the Mirror **

He stood at the door watching the interaction or lack of it between the other two occupants of the room. The tense environment that usually surrounded them was the best advertisement for avoiding relationships.

He will concede that with the virus in scene a lot of strain was placed on them. The vibe he usually got when hanging around the ill-starred lovers is one of blame instead of longing.

Cindy told him once that Max and Logan danced around each other for a whole year, only admitting they were attracted to each other hours before the attack at Manticore that ended up with Max back in the very place she tried to destroy.

Just by looking at them he could easily explain the 'blame' vibe in two words, timing and fear.

Having a good timing was essential not only regarding love but in all the aspects of life; obviously, neither of them considered important to have it. Humans always forget that sometimes there might not be a tomorrow, after all future is always changing and if you do not live every minute you might have not lived at all.

And that was closely related to the other half of their equation 'fear'. Fear was at the end a bigger responsible of their mess. Fear of being rejected, fear of being let down, fear of trusting, fear of caring…

One of the definitions of fear is "to be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event"; the key words here were "possible or probable". Most part of the time our fears are groundless only sustained by our own insecurities. Max and Logan were far from being fearless when it comes to admitting their feelings plus they had the worst timing in history.

He was indirectly responsible for their current situation. If Max wouldn't have chose to save his life instead of the cure both of them could be living in bliss now (or maybe not he had the feeling that these two had a thing for drama). Only that she didn't.

And that was the main reason of his personal search for a scientist who will deliver the long awaited cure. He was not the kind of person who likes owning favors. Besides, he really wanted to see if Max bitchy mood will improve if things with her not boyfriend were normal.

Alec closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, a feeling of dizziness hit him and his hand reached for the door frame in order to regain his balance. As soon as it came the light-headed sensation went away. X5's don't get sick, just what exactly had happened?

Looking up he realized that neither Max nor Logan had seen him yet. Thank god for small miracles. He should add to his previous analysis that both of them were also clueless at times. Alec cleared his throat and waited until they looked in his direction.

"Well who are we going to spy, steal, kidnap or whatever is needed this time?"

"It's fair simple. I need that both of you attend to a gathering organized by the Embassy of Georgia and get included in the after party meeting with the former Minister of Defense and current Ambassador. My source affirms that Georgia new export products are weapons and women. I need for you to confirm it."

Logan was looking at both transgenic waiting to see which one of them will start the question quiz, to his surprise it was Alec's who started it.

"Who are we playing? No offense Max but unless you're known as a power figure you're not getting in the after party."

Logan had to admit that it was a good question, one with an answer Max wasn't going to like.

"I have to play the bimbo?" Max's tone showed her enthusiasm about the whole situation.

Logan gave her a reassured smile as he continued with the explanation.

"I'm afraid Alec has a point there. You'll be the girlfriend and Alec will be the typical spoiled trust fund baby."

"You'll have to act like you really enjoy my company Max, show devotion and rapture at every word that I say." Alec couldn't help but smirk at her annoyed look, sometimes it was so easy to rile her up.

"Or I could be clingy and whinny and you'll have to put up with me the whole night."

And sometimes she reacted in a different and more amusing way. It wasn't the words but the toxic sweet voice that made him realize that clingy Max will probably be far worst than bitchy Max. Deciding that a change of venue will be better for all parties, Alec opted for keep on the questions.

"Who's the bad boy we're looking for?"

"This is Evgraf Sokolov, former Minister of Defense during the second term of Venedikt Lebedev"

A fifty year old man photo was displayed on Logan's screen.

There was something that didn't fit in Alec's mind. He had seen the man somewhere else. He couldn't place the time but he was sure that it wasn't the first time he saw him.

"So, we get to the party; mingle with the rich and famous. Alec gets in the private party while I check if there's something interesting enough for a souvenir before we have to leave?"

"Exactly, except the part where you case the place."

Logan reply had Max pouting at him. Some of their interaction and gestures really sold them as a couple, too bad they usually chose the corny ones.

"What about our names?"

"Dimitri Petrov and Emily Michaels, you are already in the guest lists. You live in Miami; your father died when you were 10 and left you as the heir of the company. You two met at a party in Los Angeles were Emily was working as an actress. You've been together for three months."

"Sounds good, time and place?"

Alec was feeling worst by the minute, his head was killing him and the dizziness had come back. His hand massaged the side of his neck; his skin was warm, warmer than usual. His heart was beating faster and he could feel the increased pressure of the blood circulating in his veins. Something was not right. He needed to get out of there and fast.

Hopefully these were the last details that he will need.

"Alaskan Way # 609. It starts at 20:00 pm"

Logan's voice had never sounded so good. It was almost over.

"Great. Then all has been said. I'll pick Max from here at 19:30, you ok with that Max?"

Max was about to reply him, but she stopped at the last second. There was something odd about the annoying transgenic besides the fact that he had been awfully helpful.

There was a thin layer of perspiration on his face, a hint of blush on his cheeks. His pupils were dilated and she could have sworn his hazel irises were invaded by golden flecks for a second or two. Something wasn't right. What did he do this time?

"Are you ok?"

Max's eyes were burning holes on him as she asked. He had been so close to get over with it, but no she had to ask. Alec contemplated the possible answers he could give her, the honest approach wouldn't get him anywhere and he didn't think that Max will appreciate a 'No I'm not, but it's my problem' kind of answer. So he went for the classic witty reply.

"Yeah, I just want to get home I need my beauty sleep."

His posture had straightened up and his voice was an octave lower.  
_Strike One._  
Just let it goes Max and everybody will be ok with it.

"Are you sure, cause you're not looking good."

Well at least now he had positive confirmation that Max had no reading mind powers. And that she sucked at reading body language.

"I'm alright."

He stressed every syllable in an attempt to discourage this sudden interest of hers regarding his well being.  
_Strike Two._  
Don't push it.

"No you're not. What did you get yourself into this time?"

It was useless, she wouldn't take the hint. What was the point on asking if you were not going to believe or accept the answer provided? It was just a loss of time and effort.

"Max, I said I'm alright."

_Strike Three._  
Last chance, be a smart girl and leave it.

"If you screw this up and I have to save your ass I rather know what you were into this time."

_And, you are out._ That had been enough.

"Fuck it off Max. You're not responsible for me. You don't have to care about me, and most important you don't need to "save" my ass as you put it. I'm not your charity case."

It was the rash and cold tone of his voice which rendered her silent, but it was the emptiness of his eyes which made her shiver. The patented Manticore stare had reminded her of her time inside hell, she had never seen Alec wearing it before today.

Alec could have kicked himself in that moment. The carefully built façade he had worked on during the last months was cracking. He, who had mastered the art of concealing emotions, had lost control. That shouldn't have happened, not here, not with them, not ever.

He needed to get out of here.

Turning around and without looking back Alec walked out of the room.

His final destination was getting to the bathroom and retrieving his clothes. The damp t-shirt clanged to his body as a second skin and instantly cooled him down. He took the jacket and strode past the corridor walking out of the door without a second glance.

The rain welcomed him as he stepped out of the building, this time he didn't complain about the rain. This time, the cold drops of water offered him some sort of comfort. This part of the night had been bizarre to say at least, and he only wanted to get back at his place and sleep it off.

Tomorrow he will worry about all the damage control that will be needed.

* * *

"It wasn't supposed to go like that."

A stern voice commented while looking at Alec as he walked out of Logan's office.

"It's debatable. When we were five and went under similar symptoms you thought you were dying." Neil replied casually.

"Well, we were five."

"You were the only one who came up with a dying theory."

"Still it shouldn't be like this."

"Why not? We're genetically engineered, no flaws included. We don't get sick, period. Actually I think this was a very controlled reaction on his part. How would you react if out of the blue you started feeling sick with no apparent reason?"

"I might freak out a little and had May running tests on me." Biggs conceded sighing.

"I rest my case then."

"The worst part hasn't started yet."

"I know, we better move. He might need help."

The two figures scanned the empty street eighty meters below before jumping down. The air offered a weak barrier as their bodies gained speed. Then about six feet over the ground, the density of air seemed to get thicker effectively slowing down their fall until they were standing on the street. The only evidence of their landing had been the soft sound of two pairs of shoes connecting with the asphalt.

Checking once again that no one was around, they walked casually out of the alley and into the avenue.

Neil looked with distaste as the rain kept falling down. If they were staying here he was getting a car, he was sick of being soaked all the time. His internal resolution came to an end as Biggs' voice disturbed the silence.

"Show off. We could have used the stairs or the elevator."

"It was faster this way." He replied calmly.

"Normal X5's will be dead after a stunt like that."

"Aren't you glad we're not normal?"

"You just love to show it."

"Sokolov is in town, that's new."

Neil's comment effectively changed the subject before they got in another pointless argument. Biggs was one of his best friends but sometimes talking to the guy was the same to chatting with a five year old kid.

"Yes, it is. Such a pity he got pissed off I would have liked to know why good old Evgraf picked the interest of EO."

"Some twisted theory that's for sure. Last time it was something about a major, a mistress and a stolen car."

"Good to know you were up to the latest gossip."

"You know me, always on the hype. Are running interference with Sokolov sudden visit?"

"Nope. I think it actually will work on our favor. Weren't Alec and Nicole assigned in all the missions relevant to Solokov and Lebedev?"

"Yeah. However, if the old man sees him he will recognize Alec immediately; do you think he's ready to handle that?"

"There's a good chance that he will, but we'll be there as well in case things get out of hand."

"Sound fair."

* * *

Max had been silent after Alec's sudden departure and Logan was getting worried. Usually she will be ranting about the careless, self centered X5, but she hadn't muttered a word since the guy left.

"I'll call him tomorrow." He started hopping to at least start some kind of conversation even if it was mission related.

She didn't turn around to face him, and for a while he thought that she hasn't listened to him. That's why it surprised him when he heard her voice.

"Do you think he's in troubles?"

"I don't know Max. He seemed a little bit on the edge but besides that I think he was just tired. Why don't you lay low on him for a while?"

"It's not that I hate him. He's not my favorite person but I don't hate him."

"I know that. Go easy on him for a couple of days."

Alec was not his favorite person either, but Logan had to admit that sometimes Max lashed out on the guy for the smallest and meaningless things. He had felt insecure when he found out that the young transgenic decided to stay in Seattle, but after watching him for a while he knew that Alec was more interested in irritating Max than in going after her.

The younger man was not always the bad guy or the constant screw up as Max usually described him. Alec was basically learning from the mistakes he made. He was still adapting to a life in the outside and unlike Max he hadn't have ten years of experience dealing with it.

But that was a topic he wasn't going to visit with Max any time soon. Things between them were complicated enough for him to start playing devil's advocate.

"I'll talk to him in the morning." Her gaze was lost as she watched the water drops hit the window's crystals.

"Good luck with that. Are you going already?" He commented as she stood up.

"It's late plus it's raining, the cat inside of me is cringing at the idea of getting soaked."

"You could stay in, there's a guess room."

Logan was really hoping that she will say yes. It will be a step forward, a smaller one but a step to the front none the less.

"Cindy might worry."

Logan suppressed the sarcastic response at the tip of his tongue, for god sakes from all the excuses she had to choose the most improbable one. Cindy might not even be in the apartment to begin with. And there were phones that were used to call people in order not to worry them. But this was Max and if she wasn't ready yet, he will wait.

Lately that is apparently all that he does, wait.

They had lost so much time before and he can't help but feel that they're repeating the same mistake. For now he will agreed. Tomorrow he will start all over again.

"Ok see you tomorrow."

"Bye Logan."

A leather gloved hand touched slightly his own, and he left a sad smile find its way on his face.

"Take care."

The words are said almost vehemently. She left without looking back and he stayed unable to turn around. Until she's gone and he's once again alone in the same place where everything between them began.

The mirror on the wall is the same he used to uncover her barcode the third time they met. He tracked it and purchased on an auction when Max was supposed dead. He only did it because it was another part of the memories he had of her.

The man on the mirror at that time had been over confident of his own luck and destiny, convinced of his ideals and the importance of his mission, positive about the future.

The image looking back at him now was of a man who was aware that destiny can change at the flick of a wrist, still compromised with his mission but less idealistic, and truly uncertain about the future.

The man on the mirror now could easily be a stranger to man he had been. When did he change that much?

* * *

Alec stepped out of the shower feeling a thousand times better than when he crossed the door of his apartment thirty minutes earlier.

Standing in front of his bathroom mirror he couldn't help but look at the image reflected. His pupils were still dilated but the fever was gone. Had it been a reminder from Manticore making him aware that even mad scientist made mistakes. It was probably a slip in his DNA code marking him as a faulty product, as long as it only means a fever once in a while he could live with it.

His eyes caught a glimpse of his back and the blood on his veins froze. It couldn't be possible. How on earth "that" got in "there"?

A black dragon in an intricate tribal design was covering the skin over his right shoulder blade. The black lines of the pattern made a contrast against his pale skin. There were no signs of irritation and his mind was running empty of any physical explanation for it. Tentatively he brushed his fingertips following the shape of the dragon that was now etched on his skin, his eyes following the path of his fingers as his mind took him far away.

_Slender fingers traced the same pattern on his skin, soft fingertips barely brushing against it. He felt completely relaxed, in peace and at home. The same fingers change direction and started massaging his neck and shoulders. Lips lingered softly as she whispered in his ear. _

'_No turning back, right?' _

_Her question is not really a question, merely an affirmation. Both of them are aware of the consequences. It won't be easy but it will be worth it. He moved his body slightly to keep her on his line of vision; the liquidized blue of her eyes mesmerized him every single time they see at each others eyes. She's his only weakness and he wouldn't have it any other way, the important thing is that she is his. _

'_Never' _

_His words floated in the air, hazel and sapphire got lost together never breaking contact, never letting go. _

Alec shuddered at the memory as his eyes focused once again on the mirror in front of him. That shade of blue made him shiver and he still felt the goose bumps running on his arms. He can't remember seeing eyes like those.

He can't help but stare at the dragon; it seems to be laughing at him, mocking him and his ignorance. He will find the true about all of this, the true about himself.

Hours ago he thought that he had time to waste, now he feels that he had wasted too much time already. There's a feeling inside of him that he's too late for something.

The click off the light switch left the bathroom in the darkness as he walked to his room. Not really bothering to get some clothes in exchange of the towel he was wearing, he fell over the bed and closed his eyes.

His body was aching; his muscles were sore and tired. He hoped that it was just an aftershock of the fever and wished that tomorrow he will be back to normal.

For now, he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

A man sat perched on a window, looking as the sky finally cleared up. The moonlight caressed the darkness of a night that will die in a couple of hours.

The light in the apartment of the building in front of them had been switched of. Alec went to sleep; he will need all the rest he can get. The chemicals will continue working and tomorrow morning Alec will be a step closer to be himself.

"We might need to become visible soon."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Signing in the same job looks like the best option."

"Heads or Tails?"

"Really? Are we doing this flipping a coin?"

"I love the guy but if there's a way to avoid riding a bike under the rain, which apparently is the only weather here, I will give it a try."

"Fine, I want Heads"

The silvery coin flew into the air for a second before falling down and spinning on the floor were it finally stopped.

"And the winner is…" Biggs moved from his spot on the sofa to get a glimpse of the coin lying over the rug. It was…

"Tails, I win. Enjoy your time as Jam Pony messenger."

"You cheated?"

"How exactly did I manage to do that if it was you who flipped the coin?"

"Telekinesis"

"Dude, that's more like your thing."

"Shut up"

"Deal with it like a man, weren't you who said those wise words?" Neil chuckled at Biggs irritated expression.

* * *

The morning came too early and for a change it was the sun that woke him up. The curtains were not completely closed and sun rays had filtered in the room and were now hitting him straight in the face.

Alec sighed; he would have stayed in bed if he could be assured that Max won't come down here to prove her point that he wasn't ok. He opened his eyes and stare at the small triangle formed between the curtain and the window frame, no more than two inches of glass let him peak at the outside.

He watched as the woman in the building in front of his, cooked something on the stove. The growl of his stomach reminded him that he skipped dinner last night. As he moved on the bed the angle changed slightly and he could see a father talking to his kids in a building…two blocks away?

That was the moment when his brain became fully aware. He closed his eyes and once again looked at the window; the man was still talking to the kids.

That was definitely not normal, so much for wishing a normal morning.

Alec sat on the bed resting his head against the headboard. He was going to take this as calm as possible, freaking out will be useless.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He was made in a lab; there's always a catch when someone else decided to play god with your life.

His breathing was back to normal and he wondered if maybe his face had turned purple, his hand moved over his head and he laughed at his own foolishness. Did he really think that horns had sprung on his head during the night?

Delaying the inevitable wasn't going to take him anywhere, he jumped of the bed and walked to the bathroom. He eyed the mirror with skepticism before moving in front of it, to his relief there was no purple face to greet him or any other remarkable change. He looked the same except his eyes.

He got closer to the mirror in order to inspect more carefully the change. Tiny flecks of an amber golden hue were now blended with his normal hazel irises.

His gaze became glossy and he needed to grasp the sink for support. It wasn't dizziness like yesterday, it felt as if his muscles were flexing and tensing on their own. It went away after a couple of seconds.

He had felt like that before, his memory brought back the smell of medicines and disinfectant.

_White walls and shiny white floors, a cacophony of sounds made by people's whispers and beeping machines, from time to time the sound fingers over keyboards broke the usual tune. _

_Children were lying in beds, looking scared, uncertain. _

_A middle age woman started talking; her voice was clear and soft as she spoke. _

"_Prometheus is a rather different project than Manticore. Neither of you belong there anymore. It's important that all of you understand that you will always be better than them._

_Your senses of sight, hearing and smell will be increased in an 80 compared to a normal X5, as well as your strength and speed. However, you will need some time to adapt; the changes we're making are complicated. It's possible and expected that you will have problems controlling your body; therefore each of you will have a trainer assigned who will help you. _

_I'll see you your progress in a week"_

Alec's body slide from resting against the wall to sitting on the bathroom floor, his head was pressed on the cool tiles of the wall as his arms encircled his knees. It was the second time in the last twelve hours that he spaced out like that. These memories were no longer reserved for his dreams now they made a presence during the day.

'Prometheus is a rather different project than Manticore. Neither of you belong there anymore'. The words keep running on his head, Prometheus? Not belonging to Manticore anymore.

"Why I can't remember?" Alec groaned.

He will need to be more careful from now on.

Tonight's mission was no longer appealing. Who was he kidding; the whole idea of going to work this morning was becoming a challenge. Pulling himself from the floor Alec decided that the first step will have to be a shower.

An hour and a half later a very pissed of Alec entered the domains of Normal. It had taken him forever to get there. His muscles were having small spasms at the most inappropriate moments. He had fallen from the damn bike at least three times and had successfully ruined his jeans.

Normal's voice was loud and clear.

"Pick up…411 Montgomery going to 85 Roberts"

"Hey Normal. I'm on it, just give me 5."

Usually he wouldn't volunteer for a run first time in the morning. He will chat and entertained the people and then he will decide to do something else. But the longer he avoids confrontation with Max the better it will be for both parts. Especially his, if this clumsy stage was going to last longer.

He strode toward the lockers; he opened his and left a spare t-shirt inside. He was about to turn around when he heard clearly Max's and OC's voices, his eyes looked at the door but no one was there yet.

Interesting.  
And quite useful.

The voices were getting closer and he walked to the back entrance. His bike was still near the dispatch area but he was counting on retrieving it while Max went to the lockers. He walked around the block, still being able to listen to their voices. Crossing the street he stood up facing Jam Pony's door as he scanned the current location of both females. As he expected they were walking inside. He counted to five as he crossed the street at a rapid pace.

"Well I'm ready, 411 Montgomery going to 85 Roberts, right boss?"

Alec didn't wait for the confirmation as he pedaled away.

Max raised her head as she heard Alec's voice, her eyes looked up for the transgenic but she couldn't find him.

* * *

Neil rested lazily against the wall as he pressed 1 on his cell phone. Alec was retrieving a package from an old lady.  
The phone was picked at the third ring.

"Our boy is a little bit grouchy right now, but that was expected."

"You're tagging him now?"

"Yes. Are you on your way to the airport?"

"Indeed. I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Sure. Send my regards to the lady."

"May should be arriving tomorrow. So you're on your own only for a day."

"I was on my own for almost a week and nothing happened." Neil added sarcastically, some times Biggs was a real worry-wart.

"It's different now."

"Your point?"

"Nevermind. Good luck with Sokolov."

"Likewise."

Both of them disconnected the call and Neil got back on his bike ready for the ride back to Jam Pony. So far, Alec seemed to be accepting his new powers quite willingly. It was going to be interesting to see if he will maintain the same coolness when the second stage was reached.

Biggs was on his way to Brussels, the former head of the Committee had requested a special meeting with all the members of the D1. It was the second time in the last three months and he suspected that she had finally obtained the evidence necessary to bring down Ackerman.

The lady had sworn to have his head after his implication on the attack at the Committee and knowing Artemis she always gets her way.

* * *

Alec's mood had improved impressively. After a couple of awkward hours his body was finally working as it was supposed to.

So far his sight and hearing were working perfectly, providing him with selected information of the subjects he was interested into. That had been a relief, for a moment he had thought that having such a sensitive hearing will be troublesome, but whoever was responsible for the enhancements did an extraordinary job. He saw and heard only what he wanted to.

It was a shame he couldn't say the same thing about the smell. He had been craving Italian food for half an hour only because he got a sniff of it while going for a delivery. He found out later that the restaurant was three blocks away from the spot where he smelled the heavenly scent of the Cappelletties.

On the bright side that enhanced sense had scored him a free meal today. Nana Valentina had laughed for five minutes when he strode in the restaurant and declared his admiration for the maker of said Cappelletti. The old woman rewarded him with a meal on the house and requested his presence at least once per week, to be able to check on him had said Valentina.

So far it had been a really good day and it was about to end in a couple of minutes. At least his work day was coming to an end and he hadn't crossed paths with Max all day. If luck keeps like that he will only deal with here later, and he preferred that way.

Max left the package on Normal's desk at exactly 16.05. Glancing around she discovered that once again she had missed Alec. She could have believed that he didn't work today if OC hadn't told her that he had been in and out all day.

She will meet him later and then they will talk.

* * *

Alec checked his reflection on the mirror, the tux he was wearing had an impeccable cut. It was almost worth the price, if he would have opted for paying for it. He picked up the bow tie and placed it on the collar; he will deal with it later.

Glancing at the clock he checked the time.

19:00

He could get to Logan's earlier for a change. Getting a keychain from his coach he walked to the door.

It was time to party.

Twenty minutes later a black Porsche parked in front of Foggle Towers. Alec took the key from the ignition and felt like a kid on Christmas, he had fell in love with that car the moment he saw it. Its sleek body sliced through the air like a knife. The car represented style, speed and quality, adjectives that he will need tonight if he was going to sell the image of the heir of a company.

He had called Logan after he left work and run the idea of needing transport, the older man contacted him with a car dealer. And he just found a new religion in the Black Porsche Carrera GT. He could have scored the car by other means, but with Logan's help he didn't need to worry about the cops.

Now let's get the girl and get over with it.

* * *

Logan was speechless as Max paced in his living room. The red silk dress brings her color and figure in a way that he's sure will make her the center of the attention.

"He better came or I'll kick his ass like there's no tomorrow"

"Max, I talked to him earlier. He's coming."

"This is Alec we're talking about"

"Weren't you going to clear the air today?"

"He was never there."

"Ahh." For Logan that explained the whole thing. He only hoped that Alec will be less sensitive today.

As in cue, his door opened and smiling Alec walked into the apartment.

"Cale, your friend is a God"

Logan laughed at the greeting. When he was younger he also had been slightly addicted to sport cars, speed and style.

"You're late."

"No Max, I'm not. I said I'll be here at 19:30. It's 19:25 so I'm actually early."

"Whatever, let's get over with this."

She walked out of the apartment and left both men alone.

"She doesn't know about the car, right?"

"I was going to tell her."

"And she's pissed at me because?"

"Yesterday."

"It's official. I do not understand your girlfriend."

Logan laughed at that. It was quite bizarre for him to be talking civilly with Alec. He blamed it on Max's erratic behavior.

"We'll be back later." Alec smirked and sauntered out of the apartment.

"Call me if you guys need something."

"Hmm." One thing was being able to have a normal conversation with the Logan Cale, another completely different was becoming another crusader. And Alec had no intention of becoming the latter.

Max was standing in front of the elevator as Alec approached her, and both of them entered it in silence. However the quiet atmosphere was soon broke by Alec.

"Max."

"What?"

"What did I do now?"

"What you mean"

"You're pissed of with me. I get it. And while under other circumstances I wouldn't give a damn, in this case specifically we are playing couple in front of possible bad guys. So are you going to be able to do it? Or you need first to lash out on whatever you think I did this time."

"I'm good at pretending for the greater good."

"Good to know that."

He should have expected that response. But still he asked. If anyone at the party asked why his lovely girlfriend looked ready to kill him he was claiming PMS.

The elevator's door opened at the lobby and Max walked in front of him. He considered the idea of letting her go, but if lady dragon was already pissed there was no reason to increase her bad temper.

"Max."

Alec called her name and walked to the passenger door of the car and opened it for her.

A raised eyebrow was her only reply before she entered in the car.

The thirty minutes drive was spent in silence, with Alec smiling as he enjoyed the drive and Max looking from time to time at him.

The valet walked toward the new arrival and opened the passenger door, helping a breathtaking brunette in a killer red dress to get out of the car.

The driver was a handsome guy in his early twenties, with a smirk that let people knows that he was used to get his will all the time. The young man exuded power and money.

Alec took Max's arm as they walked to the door of the Embassy and a minute later they were guided to the foyer. Alec scanned the room and he saw Evgraf Sokolov talking animatedly with other four men.

Max was smiling as she kept her hold on Alec's arm. Most part of the girls were younger than their partners. Not really good odds for her.

A woman in his late fifties got closer to the new couple.

"My god, you two are gorgeous. I'm IrinaCrachek."

"Wonderful event miss Crachek. I'm Dimitri Petrov and this beautiful lady is Emily Michaels." Alec smiled at the woman and watched satisfied as she blushed and laughed nervously, before recovering enough to reply him.

"Well Mr. Petrov I hope you will enjoy the evening."

Both Max and Alec were aware of the double meaning of the reply. Max couldn't believe that a woman in that age will make a comment like that with her present. Actually she couldn't believe that Alec only needed a smile to fry the woman's brain.

"I'm sure of it Irina."

Alec grinned as he pushed Max to the front.

They spent thirty minutes mingling with the rest of the guests before starting to look for Sokolov.

* * *

Max was amazed at seeing Alec's interaction with people. He always had the right word, the correct comment and the perfect smile for all of them, whether they were retired businessmen, old widows, new wives, or young executives. It only took a minute and they were wrapped at his little finger and proclaiming their adoration.

Max concluded that Alec was too good in this game. The question will probably be left unanswered, was it the result of years of practice or was it a natural gift?.

Alec had spent the last ten minutes performing the fine art of deceiving. It was like a second nature to become what people expected.

He asked Max if she wanted something to drink, at her negative he walked alone to the bar and requested a scotch. He was looking absently as he waited for his drink when a man grabbed his arm. He turned around to encounter Evgraf Sokolov in front of him and sporting a big smile.

"Nikolai, it's been too long my friend. I had no idea you were invited here."

The man was looking rather enthusiastic as if he really knew him. Deciding to play along he smiled and hugged the man.

"Yes, it's been too long. How you've been Evy?" He wasn't sure why he called the man 'Evy' but he felt that it fitted somehow.

"Not as good as you. Look at yourself all grown up. Where's the beautiful Katrina?"  
Katrina?…who was Katrina?  
Katrina…

_**February of 2015  
**__**Briefing Room**_

_Alec, Nicole, Seth and Mark were seated at the table as Colonel Brunner walked in. He activated the holographic imager as the information and pictures emerged. He paced around a couple of minutes before starting to talk; the four of them looked calmly at him. _

"_A year ago Ivan Kerensky's regime was overthrown and a democratic republic was established. During this time political issues had been worked out and the economy is slowly recovering. However, we had recent Intel that Kerensky has influenced Azerbaijan's prime minister and is ready to start an armed conflict between the two countries."_

"_Both Georgia and Azerbaijan are under Europe jurisdiction, isn't the MI5 already on the subject." Nicole asked._

_Brunner groaned audible at the comment._

"_We're cooperating with them." An soft chuckle followed by an equally soft 'Ah' was heard inside the room._

"_Our main concern is to eliminate Kerensky's treat?" Asked Seth whom was not fond of Europe in the winter, in his mind the faster an assignment was completed the sooner he was back on warmer grounds._

"_Not exactly. The situation is fairly more complicated. Eliminating Kerensky will automatically make him a hero as well as being the perfect reason to start the conflict. Our intervention in this ordeal has to be unnoticed, no collaterals unless extremely inevitable. We had Georgia's Defense Minister providing us with all the logistic we might need. Evgraf Sokolov life has to be preserved during this mission; he's the master key in this chess game."_

"_Two teams?" Alec asked finally._

"_Yes. You and Nicole are Alfa team. Nikolai and Katrina Meslav the youngest recruits of the MI5." _

"_We're switching teams now?"_

"_Don't ask. It's already giving me a headache."_

"_Yes sir." Nicole added smiling. _

Alec smiled looking at an older version of Evgraf Sokolov.

"She was needed elsewhere Evy, so tell me what brings you back to the States?"

As both men walked inside the studio, four pair of eyes followed them. The appearance of the younger man had been unexpected and could be a hindrance on their plans.


	6. Kindly Unspoken

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:**A special thanks to Kita, the kindred soul who deals directly with my grammar crimes as the beta reader of the story. And to Jenna, the designated voice of reason who's input helps me to improve this story.

To all of you who had reviewed…thanks a lot. To the ones who haven't done yet, don't you think now it will be a good time? :)  
Whether you do it or not, I hope all of you would enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Kindly Unspoken**

_**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**_

Alec's Apartment  
_**23:59 pm**_

Destiny works on mysterious ways, or at least that's what people said. Sitting on his living room and sipping on scotch Alec was starting to believe that more than mysterious ways, destiny has a twisted sense of humor.

Surrounded by dark shadows he contemplated the events of the past six hours, next time Logan needs help Max could go find another transgenic to do the job. His Good Samaritan act was over.

It all had started with a simple question _'Where is the beautiful Katrina?'_ meaningless five words to another person, but the trigger for a new batch of memories for him. At least now he knew who Katrina was, or better what had Nicole been doing at that time.

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**20:20**__** pm**_

A quintessential part of his training included the capacity to be able to fit into any kind of circumstances, to be anyone and no one at the same time.

When Alec felt someone grabbing his arm and calling him Nikolai instead of Dimitri many thoughts crossed his mind in barely fractions of a second. The most important fact to be cleared was if the stranger should be considered as a friend or a foe. The smile on Evgraf Sokolov's face put him temporarily in the 'friends' side, for previous and personal experience he knew that appearances could be deceiving.

Now the big question was to find out why Sokolov regarded him as an old acquaintance.

There had been a flicker of recognition the first time Alec saw the picture of the former Georgia's Defense Minister at Logan's place. He knew somehow that it wasn't the first time he saw that man, at the time he hadn't been able to figure out the time and place.

Sokolov's attitude toward him could be both a good and a bad thing. If they had parted on good terms he could get the information he needed for Logan faster than he expected; on the contrary, if the man reckoned him as an enemy and was just pretending for the sake of his guests, Alec's near future had a couple of black clouds on it.

One way or the other, Alec knew the cardinal rule now was to keep it cool. No matter how desperate you are, never let it show.

"_Nikolai, it's been too long my friend. I had no idea you were invited here."_

Alec had smiled in response; it had been a perfect invitation to play along. As he came closer to hug the man the smell of his cologne triggered another memory.

"_Why did you let Evy win __the game?" The mocking voice with a hint of sarcasm told him that she was in a playful mood. _

"_Evy?"_

"_You really expect me to call him Evgraf every time we talk about him_

_He knew perfectly well that tone of hers, it was the one used when logic and common sense was on her side and no argument will change her mind. _

"_Evy sound__s girly." He couldn't picture himself calling the big man 'Evy'; it was like calling an alligator 'softy'._

"_Have a better nickname for the man?"_

_If he thought about it for a sec, he didn't have any options in mind. Ev? Sounded like a letter, too guttural. Graf? Nope. The man didn't look like a female tennis player._

"_Evy will do."__ He finally accepted, after all Quintilian used to say 'When defeat is inevitable, it is wise to yield.'_

Alec blinked away the voices as he focused again in the man in front of him. Sometimes he wished the memories will have stay as dreams, having these flashbacks at any given time was frustrating.

Testing the waters he used the nickname, the result was an easy-going smile and a question that unleashed new memories.

"_Not as good as you. Look at yourself all grown up. Where's the beautiful Katrina?"_

As the words let Evgraf's lips his brain was overflow with information, Nicole was sitting with him and two other guys. A debriefing about Georgia, the first time he heard the name of Sokolov.

Alec smiled sincerely for the first time since he entered the party. He knew exactly who was the man standing in front of him, he also had found the answers about the when and where. He even remembered the why.

He had regained the control over the situation. Now it was time for his own questions.

"_She was needed elsewhere Evy, so tell me what brings you back to the States?"_

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**20:3**__**0 pm**_

Evgraf Sokolov led the young man to his studio. Ever since the death of his wife he considered social gatherings as his personal form of torture, long idle chats and never ending meals that surprisingly enough repeated themes of conversation with the same frequency as menus. The current situation of the world and salmon puffs were a match he believed was made in hell.

That was the main reason to explain his fast reaction on leaving the party taking along Nikolai. It's been more than four years since the last time he set eyes on the guy or his always present companion, the ethereal Katrina.

He met the pair when both of them were just a couple of teenagers assigned to collaborate with him in order to avoid by all means necessary an armed conflict with Azerbaijan.

He had been suspicious during the first meeting, after all most part of the people in their age he had been in contact with had no idea of discipline; but, the professionalism portrayed by the pair when explaining the situation and the kind of work they will be doing outweighed his initial doubts about their preparation.

In two weeks they found an interesting approach to deal with the growing supporters' base of Ivan Kerensky, it came from the most unusual source, Anna Kerensky the twelve year old deceased daughter of Ivan. How they got the information linking him with his daughter death and then implicating him with war crimes was something he never found out. What had been clear was that a month after their arrival, Kerensky had lost the support of Azerbaijan Prime Minister and his own people inside Georgia's borders had started to abandon his cause.

The crisis between both countries solved itself without a single bullet being shot. The recognition for the achievement had fallen upon him, despite that he had not been completely aware of the details and circumstances involved and maybe that was for the best.

There were many reasons why he regarded both Nikolai and Katrina fondly. Endzela's well being at the time was one of them; his wife's life had been saved by the hand of Katrina's accurately aim. They were ordered to protect his life and collaborate in solving a conflict, still they bended the rules and included protecting his wife in the deal.

"Are you avoiding my question for a specific reason Evy?"

Alec's voice made him realize that he had been watching the space for the last two minutes. He was still holding the bottle of Furvus 04'. Evgraf consider himself as a man of wine better than a man of Vodka; the bottle he had chosen was a present from the Ambassador of Spain. Filling two glasses with the burgundy liquid, he offered one to Nikolai.

"I wasn't avoiding Nikolai. I was merely caught up in memories, happens a lot when you became older." He added smiling at the younger man as his nostrils were filled with the particular smell of the grapes juice.

"I'm older too – "sighed Alec – "- How is your wife? I haven't seen her yet."

A sad smile crossed Sokolov's face.

"She died last year, lung cancer. Ironically she never smoked a single cigarette, but she fought until the last moment."

He watched as Nikolai assimilated the news, Endzela had been on good terms with Katrina since they met, but only gained Nikolai's appreciation as she personally took care of the younger girl's recovery after she saved her life. And while Nikolai never said anything to his wife to express gratitude, he left a small crystal angel on her hand when he was leaving. Nikolai had always been a complex mystery.

"I'm sorry for your loss. She was an exceptional woman."

Alec's mind had been working at an inhuman speed as his brain provided him with information related to the different missions regarding Georgia or Sokolov. Debriefings, profiles, targets, strategies, everything passed through his eyes as both men talked. Finding out about Endzela Sokolov death's, left him with a bittersweet taste, unsure of the correct approach. He had seen first hand Evgraf's devotion for his wife; he could only imagine the loneliness the older man must felt now.

"She was Nikolai, she was. She made these kinds of things bearable."

"I can relate to that" Alec chuckled.

Evgraf laughed as both men raised their glasses in a cheer motion.

"Your people actually requested to have this shindig tonight. I thought that was the reason you were here."

Alec's eyes had narrowed at his answer, that piece of information was definitely priceless.

"Sorry to disappoint but I got here for other reasons. Who exactly will be my people this time?"

Evgraf looked him with an amused face "The DSCA of course. They had been coordinating all our movements in American territory."

"I see. I thought you had been assigned specifically to the NSA." Alec replied casually while drinking his wine.

He was surprised for the change of agency and completely unaware that the Defense Security Cooperation Agency had been cleared of to deal with Georgia's package.

If his memory served him right the NSA had fought tooth and nail for a special permission from the President to gain exclusive control of the Georgia Agenda. The winning argument from Deputy Director Thomas Hathaway had been the potential treat of former Kerensky's followers on being absorbed by Rising Moon, a new terrorist fraction operating on Azerbaijan.

The NSA main interest had been to keep Rising Moon operations inside Georgia as non existent, even if the NSA was unable to act with its own human resources, all the operations from the other agencies regarding Georgia needed to be approved by them. And while it seemed to be more bureaucratic than anything else, the excessive control provided the NSA with enough time to double check any actions. After the pulse the agencies learned not to trust on technology with closed eyes.

For Alec the change seemed suspicious, although considering that his Intel was outdated, maybe it wasn't that strange.

"Orders from above. At least that's what they told us." Sokolov's expression mirrored what he was feeling about the situation.

"Is Georgia currently exporting something to us?"

"Our higher ranking soldiers in order for them to be trained" Evgraf chuckled, "Nothing else besides that."

And that comment from Evy confirmed Alec that something didn't match the profile. Sokolov had no reason to lie; Alec was conscious regarding Evgraf's position when it comes to white slavery and the laws he had promoted during his time as the right hand of president Lebedev. There was something missing in this equation.

"Do you mind if I tag along during your unofficial meeting?"

Evgraf watched as Nikolai lips twitched on a smirk.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked "Should I be worried already?"

"No need for that."

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**20:45**__** pm**_

Max had decided that no matter the circumstances, there was no way in hell she would venture herself back into the 'Ladies Room' again in what was left of the night. She glanced at the closed doors by the end of the corridor; two security guards were posted at each side of it.

Alec and Evgraf Sokolov had crossed the same doors fifteen minutes ago. She had spent half of that time dodging the not so subtle advances of the secretary of some office who was three times her age and not taking the hints, and avoiding the idle chat from the younger girls. Finally she had escaped here, where she was able to get a clear view of the doors without rising suspicious.

Suddenly a figure blocked her vision range; she let her eyes lingered on the body in front of hers to focus at the end on the intruder's face. Light brown hair and gray blue eyes met her gaze, the guy was tall and with an athletic complexion, for the clothes he was wearing Max suspected that he probably was what Alec had been faking to be during the last hour.

"Did I pass the test?" The stranger asked her in a tone that was half mocking half serious, obvious having noticed the way she studied him.

"It depends what do you think I was testing you for?" Max cringed inwardly at the sound of her voice with that overly sweet tone.

The guy made a face and chuckled loudly.

"Please, I've seen you from the other side of the room and you are not what you're pretending to be. From the distance you seemed to own a brain. Hold on the sugary voice and I'll promise to entertain you with an interesting conversation."

Max eyed him suspiciously. Her mind and training were telling her to smile and turn around without a second look. Her instincts were quite a different story; there was something about the stranger that made her feel at ease, something telling her that he was not a threat.

Finally deciding to trust on her gut Max asked, "You seem to be quite confident about me, what makes you think you are correct?"

"The fact that you asked me a question without using a term of endearment." He replied with a suffered sigh.

Max laughed at the tone and offered her hand. "I'm Emily Michaels."

"Nice meeting you Emily. I'm Tyler Scott."

"Well Tyler, you realize that you'll have to deliver your end of the deal, don't you?"

"Of course Emily I'm planning to have you entertained during the whole party. After today you will never see these people the same way you used to." Tyler's enigmatic answer was followed by his hand liking her arm to his as he walked her away from the corridor and back into the party.

Max glanced at the door.

Still firmly closed.

For now, she will have to check on Alec from the distance.

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**20:45**__** pm**_

Neil had been watching closely at the pair since their arrival. He had seen Alec as he worked his magic on the people around him. He always compared it with a magnetic force; people have the tendency to gravitate around Alec, for better or worst. The guy could attract with the same ease the interest of the most important people or the worst scum on earth.

He had seen the flash of recognition in Alec's eyes as Sokolov greeted him. He gave it to the guy, even when he wasn't himself he was able to pull on the mask and pretended to be cool about it. Neil estimated that by now, Alec had probably remembered the most important parts of the 'Tbilisi Engagement'.

According to May, Alec's memory could be triggered by the smallest things at this stage. Biggs decision of not interfering today has been a bold movement on their part, Neil just wished that they wouldn't have to regret about it in the future.

His eyes widened as he listened to the conversation between Evgraf and Alec. Last time he had checked the situation of Georgia, it was the NSA which was on command of it. Last time he checked that Intel had been two weeks ago. The DSCA had no matters on it. Something wasn't right.

Neil watched as Max stood closer to the corridor that leads to the studio. If things get out of control, he wanted her as clueless as possible about Alec's relation with the whole ordeal. That's when he decided to interfere, and introduce himself with the alias for the night, Tyler Scott at your services.

He walked right in front of her, and successfully got her attention on him instead of the people at the other side of the doors.

As he led her back to the ballroom, he started telling stories about the guests. She wasn't as bad companion as he had guessed from watching her when he followed Alec. Her voice and facial expressions during those times had been way unfeminine not really fitting her, quite a change from her current behavior.

A knock on the studio's door and a quick exchange of words told him that the main meeting will be held soon and in a different location inside the house. Now he needed to keep Max's attention on anything besides it.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**21:00 pm**_

A soft knock on the door stopped momentarily the chess game between Alec and Evgraf. The latter stood up and nodded at guard before closing the door.

Evgraf Sokolov walked toward the table where they set up the chess board but remained standing.

"I'm sorry Nikolai but we will have to finish this at some other time."

"Don't worry about it. Meeting time?"

"Indeed. We should go to the library."

Alec stood up as both men walked to the door, the guards then escorted them to the library where they found four men dressed in dark suits.

As the heavy oak doors of the library were closed the introductions began.

"Good evening gentlemen, I hope all of you enjoyed the party."

Sokolov's words were supposed to act as the ice breaker, however one man keep looking straight at Alec.

"Who's the newcomer?" The older of them asked.

Alec smirked before casually replying. "Nikolai Meslav, MI-5 and you gentlemen?"

"Of course where are my manners, these gentlemen are Josh Turner, Ted Nielsen, Adam Clay and I'm Peter Green. I wasn't aware of the MI-5 involvement?"

"As well as I wasn't aware of the DSCA engagement. It seems to me that both of us suffered from an ill communication. I believed the Georgia Agenda was still of the NSA's domain".

Peter Green had been working for the government for more than thirty years. When he accepted to be part of this operation he was well aware that it wasn't something clean. To put it simple, he was throwing away thirty years of career for a substantial monetary reward after seeing that been in the good boys side wasn't leading him anywhere.

The moment he heard the tone used by Meslav he knew two things. First, this mission has been blown out, and second even if he survived this night the rest of his life didn't look promising if Meslav ended up alive.

Nikolai Meslav had become Green's target the moment he mentioned the NSA and his connection with the MI-5. They could contain the situation if they successfully eliminated Meslav, although the agent seemed to be in close contact with Sokolov, which meant that they will have to eliminate Evgraf Sokolov as well.

The death of Georgia's Ambassador and former Defense Minister could be used in the cover story they had been working on. In fact, the proofs they had fabricated linking Sokolov with white slavery and illegal armory traffic inside the US territory could be easily supported by his death.

Looking straight in the hazel eyes of Meslav, Green nodded before replying.

"It seems that way Agent Meslav."

Alec had seen the panic in Green's eyes when he mentioned the NSA. It only confirmed his suspicious that these people were working on the sidelines. NSA never lost control of the Georgia Agenda. Maybe Logan's source wasn't so far from the truth; he or she was only misguided about who the real bad boys were.

By the speed of how things were progressing, Alec knew that if he and Evy didn't leave that room in the next two minutes an unfortunately accident will fall upon both of them.

"Well look at the time. Gentlemen I apologize but I have to leave. Mr. Sokolov do you care to show me the exit from these labyrinth you call embassy?"

It was stupid, but who knew if they will fall for it. Four raised guns told Alec that his intention has been futile and extremely naïve.

"I don't think so Nikolai, after all we haven't even started the meeting."

"What is going on Nikolai? Mr. Green?"

Evgraf Sokolov had been in thigh situations before, but being in one at his 65 years old was something he hadn't expected. He tried to gain some time for Nikolai, he doubted that these people will do something against him after all he was the Ambassador for his country, but the young man could use the time.

As Green got distracted and moved only slightly his eyes to glance at Sokolov's side, Alec used the time to grab the engraved pen from the table and hide it inside his sleeve.

"I don't have all the facts but I'm guessing that the NSA had no idea regarding the DSCA involvement with your country. There have been some rumors flying around about white slavery and armory traffic; I believe Mr. Green might have more information about it. Don't you Peter?"

Alec asked calmly while his eyes scanned the possible exits they could use, he needed exit routes for a man in his middle sixties. He was convinced that if he left Sokolov here, these men wouldn't hesitate in killing the politic and possible framing him for it.

Looking at the men in front of him Alec wondered how come the bad guys always came in large sizes, the bigger the better was apparently the slogan when recruiting them. The only good thing was that the bigger they were the funnier their fall will be.

"Brilliant Nikolai, it's a shame you're not going to share that piece of information with anyone else." Green commented unaffected and then looked in Sokolov's direction adding, "I'm deeply sorry Mr. Sokolov, but it seems like you're no longer useful to us."

Four pairs of eyes were focused on the two unarmed occupants of the room, ready to shot and erase the treat to their mission.

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**21:20 pm**_

Max had to admit this was probably the first formal party where she had really enjoyed herself. Tyler has proved to be an excellent company and had told her so many interesting stories about half of the party, that she was sure she would be able to have conversation topics for a couple of months.

She glanced at the watch of one of the waiters and realized that Alec had been gone for an hour. She looked in the direction of the studio and noticed that the guards were gone. It could only mean something, Alec and Sokolov had left that room and where somewhere else. How could she miss that, she needed to find out where they were and she needed to do it faster.

"I have to go the ladies room. Be back in a minute." Max smiled as she untangle her arm from her companion.

"Hell's branch on earth? Brave girl, I'll be around." Tyler laughed and let her go.

Max walked in the direction of the bathroom, turning around before entering she watched as Tyler got in a conversation with an old man he introduced her before. She bent down as if picking up something from the floor and used a group of people standing in front of her as a cover as she walked outside the Embassy building.

She needed a change of view.

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**21:21 pm**_

Neil could have made fun at Max's excuse if it wouldn't have provided him with time for himself. He needed to put his plan on motion.

After exchanging a couple of words with Gilbert Ashton, he walked toward the bathroom's ventilation duct and removed the cover. He closed his eyes concentrating in reducing the air pressure; he was aiming for a cold and strong wind.

The temperature in the whole building started to drop in a matter of seconds in opposition of the strength of the air from the ventilation ducts which seemed to be increased. A minute later he heard the first complains regarding the cold environment, hopefully this distraction would be enough to keep people out of the loop of the critical events taking place inside the building.

For now, his job was done. Probably cutting of the electricity could have worked too, but it would also have called Max's attention. This was better.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**21:21:05**__** pm**_

He only needed as second.

Actually he only needed a couple of fractions of a second.

Alec stood next to Evgraf as both of them looked at the four Glock 17's aimed toward their heads, his mind defined the strategy the moment the men raised their guns now he was only waiting for the first man to make a move.

Ted Nielsen couldn't believe how fast the situation has deteriorated; it was supposed to be a simple mission, mostly surveillance barely any interaction. And now he was pointing his gun at a diplomatic member and an MI-5 agent.

He was nervous, and as an unintentionally reflex his right eye blinked. The sharp pain on his throat took him by surprise; his legs gave out as his body connected heavily with the floor. In the distance he heard the hiss of a bullet passing through the silencer and a quiet moan of pain. It was then that he noticed the blood on his shirt, on his hands, all around himself. The carmine substance flown from his body as well as his life, he was dying. It only took a second.

Adam Clay had not realized what had happened until he felt something warm on his face, followed closely but the burning pain of a bullet impacting on his chest, his lips opened on a pained hiss. The world stopped as he collapsed on the floor. Maybe it was better that Adam Clay didn't realize that the warm liquid on his face was Ted Nielsen's blood.

Since the first time he decided to join the agency, Josh Turner always took for granted that if someone was to die he was the one making the killing. Not once in his life he speculated with the possibility of him being in the other end. Not until now. The fear and surprise paralyzed him as he watched Meslav's actions in what seems to be slow motion. It was less than a second as he felt the pain exploding in front of his eyes, and then there was nothing.

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**21:30**__** pm**_

It only took a second.

Peter Green lay on the floor of the library surrounded by the fallen bodies of his men. He closed the phone he had been holding, he had called the chief.

It had only been a second.

He had watched as Nikolai stabbed Nielsen in the neck. Before the body touched the ground Meslav had shot Clay and Turner. But he never intended to kill him. The bastard had shot him on the knees. Never in his life had he seen someone move so fast, three men were killed before the first one had fallen dead.

And here he was soaked in his own blood, barely containing the pain and surrounded by dead bodies. Thirty years of his life went down the drain in only a second, maybe even less than a second.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Saint Mathews Hospital  
**__**21.40 pm**_

The car swayed at a dangerous speed and he could hear the distant sound of a siren. Logan was going to kill him if something happened to the car. Max was going to kill him for letting her out of the action. And Evgraf was going to kill him for endangering his life not once but at least three times in the last hour and a half.

"We're about two blocks from the hospital. You will be safer there."

"I'm not exactly worried about me Nikolai."

"Don't Evy. I'm always alright; you should know that by now."

The car stopped in front of the hospital emergency entrance. Alec looked at Evgraf's shocked expression. The man didn't need all the action he had seen today.

"I'll visit you soon for that game of chess."

A nearly invisible smile could be seen in Sokolov's face as he opened the car's door and walked out of it. He turned around and saluted towards Alec.

"I'll be waiting then."

The black Porsche speeded up getting lost on the avenue in seconds. At the same time Evgraf Sokolov's was being attended inside of Saint Mathews Hospital by a panicked nurse who was frantically looking for injuries in his body, not hearing a word about his explanation that the blood wasn't his.

As he drove back to the Embassy Alec's mind replayed the events that transpired less than twenty minutes ago. He had killed three men and left one crippled for the rest of his life. Strangely enough guilty was not the emotion reining his feelings, these men tried to kill him and an innocent bystander; he was not guilty about his decision although he knew that there will be hell to pay later.

He could visualize the swift movement of his wrist as he dug the pen deeper on the jugular of the first man and took his gun with his other hand. The natural reaction of his own body as he moved backward avoiding the splatter of blood as the man kept falling down. The automatic action of aiming and shooting the second man in the heart and moving instantly on the third, aiming to his head this time.

Green could have tried and ventured to shoot him, even if that would have been useless, but he didn't even try. Peter Green had stood up rotten to the carpet as Alec shot him on both knees. No vital organ had been injured; Alec was not interested on killing the man. According to Alec, for some people living was worst than dying, and he had the suspicious that Green fitted on that category.

These men were not even following a protocol, and he had acted on self defense. He knew that Max and Logan will be on his neck for it, on their book killing is always bad, and on his book it was better killing the enemy than get killed by the enemy.

Then there was the other thing.

As an X5 he was faster than a normal human, but tonight he was even faster than what was normal for an X5. Today has been a day of discoveries, first his enhanced sight, then hearing maximized, and now super speed and strength. When he thought about it, he was slightly apprehensive about what tomorrow may bring.

* * *

_**Embassy of Georgia  
**__**21:50 pm**_

Max finished telling the officer her story by the second time, the fact that she looked like a ditz didn't imply that she was one. All the guests to the event had been kept inside of the building as the police proceeded to take all their declarations. Three dead bodies were found in the library and a forth guy had been gravely injured.

It was a guard who heard the screams and found the bodies, alerting to the police and calling an ambulance.

She knew that Alec was no longer inside the building. She saw him leaving with Evgraf Sokolov; in fact she bumped into him when he was leaving.

She had walked out of the embassy building in search of an alternative entrance route only to find Alec walking out of a window accompanied by Georgia's Ambassador.

Max remembered demanding and immediate answer, which she didn't get at the end.

"_What is going on?"_

"_Emily, I swear I'll explain later. For now just trust on me, OK?" _

_There had been something about the tone of __Alec's voice or the look in his eyes that told her that he was more than capable to handle the situation. _

"_Fine" _

Max wasn't sure why she had agreed on that, she was thinking exactly what excuse she will do when the rest of the people will remember that she had been accompanied by Alec at first and Tyler's next.

That had been half an hour before.

She felt a hand over her arm, and as she spins around she found Alec standing next to her.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know Max. By the way thanks for covering me with the cops." He whispered in her ear, pretending to be comforting his girlfriend. Max tensed for a second. She hadn't said anything about him to the cops.

From the other side of the room, Neil watched as the police finally started letting the people go and as Max and Alec walked out of the door. Taking in consideration all the things that had happened in the last 120 minutes, he could consider himself lucky to have been able to keep some sort of order in all the mayhem. He had even contacted Thomas Hathaway from the NSA.

It hadn't been a boring night, and at least for him it wouldn't end until he hit the last stop.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Saint Mathews Hospital  
**__**22.10 pm **_

Evgraf Sokolov's mind was trying to catch up with the events he experienced during the past two hours. Nikolai had been gone after leaving him inside of the safety walls of the hospital. However, even now he was trying to understand what had happened.

A young man in his mid twenties and his companion, a more mature looking guy who was rubbing tiredly the bridge of his nose stood in front of him. The older guy started talking.

"Mr. Sokolov, please let me offer you my deepest apologies about all that happened tonight."

Tonight Evgraf decided that politics and diplomacy could easily go to hell. "I'm not having a good night so let's make it quick, who are you?"

"I'm Thomas Hathaway, NSA Deputy Director of External Affairs."

"Are you going to explain to me what had happened?"

"I'm sorry sir that is classified information." replied Hathaway.

"Then why in God's name did you come for?" an exasperated Sokolov muttered.

"To let you know that something like this won't happen again." Added quietly the younger man.

"You're in the NSA too?"

"No Sir. I'm in the MI-5"

Sokolov let out a tired sigh. "He left a while ago."

"We know Mr. Sokolov; he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place."

Evgraf's eyes became hard. "I see."

"We will escort you back to your hotel."

"….." A single nod had been the only answer he gave to the pair.

Neil watched at Evgraf's reaction, he didn't blame the guy, even he was feeling a little stressed. Sokolov will be safe now, the NSA was not exactly his favorite bunch of people inside the government, but at least he knew that Artemis had a stronger hold on that agency.

* * *

**_Alec's Apartment  
00:15 pm_**

On the other side of the city, Alec looked absently at the sleeping city from his window. He wonders if tonight he would dream about his life and another piece of the puzzle will fit back in place.

He walked to his bedroom and fell over his bed, burying his face on the pillow. Minutes later he's completely asleep.

It all started in Tbilisi, around February of 2015. That was when he was reminded that with Nicole some things were better left unspoken…

_To be continued_


	7. Whispers From the Past

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Kita for beta reading this chapter in record time and to Jenna whose help is invaluable. Also thanks to all the people who took a couple of minutes to leave a review.

When reading this and the next chapters please keep in mind the following:  
- Familiars and the Breeding Cult are not part of this story. Although the character of Ames White as a member of the NSA will be included.  
- The character of Seth as a member of the Elite is not the same than the character from the DA books.

With all that said, please enjoy Chapter 06

* * *

_**Chapter 6  
**__**Whispers From The Past**_

Who was he?  
Behind all the witty remarks and easy going attitude, did she really know anything about him?  
Was it even possible to get to know a person?

The questions swirled at a mad speed inside her head. Things happened too fast and her mind was still struggling to process all the events of the night. Reality was evading her and she had the nagging sensation that it was laughing at her clumsiness, watching as she stumbled in the shadows of ignorance.

Three days ago something like this wouldn't have ended the same way; three days ago she had the world figured out. Three days ago people acted according their nature; bad guys did bad things, good guys save the day and stubborn jerks acted as jerks. Three days ago the world used to be in balance.

She was surprised about her behavior; actually her lack of a reaction was the problem. She let him leave without a fight; she hadn't said a word in order to stop him, she 'Max' had let 'Alec' walk away safe and sound. He only looked at her and all the words flew out of her brain.

She can't help but ponder that lately it seemed like they are switching roles.

Max looked at the key chain in her palm, the metal shined under the lights of the building entrance. She closed her fist forcefully and felt as the small dents pressing against her skin. She finally admitted that when it comes to him she's at a loss.

If now was the time to be honest with herself, Max would have to admit that before today she never had been curious enough to get to know him. Not even once she had bothered to ask him how was he doing. 

She always assumed that his attitude when it comes to life was a clear reflex that he had no problems adapting to the outside. Besides his designation and some out of the blue comments about Manticore he mentioned a long time ago she really doesn't know anything about him.

Could it be possible that he used to be a CO? She never thought about it. His posture about life had always gave the impression of being centered on having as much fun as possible, avoiding responsibilities as if those were the plague.

Alec was completely opposite of Zack and until now she wouldn't have thought about both men under the same lines.

The cold wind made her shiver and she looked at the barely illuminated street where Alec disappeared a while ago. A soft sigh escaped from her lips, she wasn't going to get any answers from him tonight. Shaking her head at the lonely street Max walked inside the Foggle Towers building.

The numbers in the panel in front of her started to change as the elevator continued its journey towards the penthouse. Her mind brought back the conversation they had on the way back.

"_What the hell happened there? Are you stupid? Do you have a death wish?" She was fuming; this was supposed to be a simple get in - get out thing and now there were three dead men and a fourth seriously injured._

_Alec glanced momentarily at her before focusing once again in the road ahead; he seemed to think about his reply for an instant before taking a deep breath and casually replying. _

"_Wonder boy's Intel was incomplete Max, what do you think it happened?"_

"_Three corpses Alec! The place was loaded with cops, what the hell were you thinking by pulling something like that?" _

_She sneered and crossed her arms over her chest in a vain attempt to control the rage she could feel cursing through her veins. Hitting Alec while he drove them back to Logan's might not qualify as a smart idea. _

"_I had to make a decision Max, I don't know about you but I prefer to be alive better than dead." His voice carried the same tone he used earlier in the night as he stare coldly at her, the hazel of his eyes once again was invaded by those golden flecks she had seen before. _

_There was something completely different about him, from the way he carried himself to the tone of his voice. His change in behavior was freaking her out. Self-centered Alec was someone she was used to deal with, this new guy with the commanding attitude sitting next to her was a completely stranger._

"_Look Max I know you have a lot of questions about what happened in there, and I'll explain it, just not tonight. It's been a long day and night and I'm not up to playing 20 questions with you and Logan. I'll be __here first thing in the morning."_

_She had watched in silence as he parked the car in front of the building, got out of the vehicle, walked to her side of the car and opened the door for her. He took her right hand on his and turned up her palm, placing the key chain on it. He stare at her for a couple of seconds, waiting for her objections, her screams, she could have bet that he also considered the possibility she might aim for a hit. _

_It never came. _

_Max was silent as both of them looked at each other and she remained like that even minutes later from his departure. _

The opening doors of the elevator brought her back to the present and she walked toward Logan's door. Tonight nothing had gone as planned, no one had acted as expected and as a result nothing made sense anymore.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"_The charity event held at the Georgia Embassy ended up with a tragic result. An attempt against the life of Georgia's Ambassador, Mr. Evgraf Sokolov had resulted on three dead men and a fourth injured. The men were killed by the embassy security team and the police suspects of the Russian gangs operating on the city, who had been responsible in the past of similar attacks. Irina Crachek, the embassy's secretary of external affairs informed the press that Mr. Sokolov was taken to the St. Mathews Hospital; luckily he wasn't injured in any form during the shooting. All the guests who had been detained by the police inside of the Embassy's premises in order to obtain their statements are now being allowed to leave the place…" _

Logan's stare had been fixed on the TV screen; he had seen in the background of the news report as Max and Alec walked out of the Embassy. Somehow a simple mission of retrieving information had turned into a diplomatic nightmare.

The reporter continued informing as the camera focused on the right wall of the embassy. Logan's eyes bulged at the sight; Thomas Hathaway, the NSA Deputy Director of External Affairs, arrived at the site followed by his usual entourage of four agents.

Seconds passed by and turned into minutes, Logan couldn't tell how long he had been staring at the now blank screen. His mind had run the worst possible scenarios as he imagined the NSA on the track of both transgenic. The sound of heels against the wooden floor went unnoticed by him.

"Logan? Are you ok?"

The last thing Max could have expected tonight was finding Logan Cale in a state of shock; however, that was how she found him. Completely enthralled on his own thoughts and foreign to the world that surrounded him.

After two unsuccessful attempts of calling him, Max opted for pushing his chair. The movement caused the desire effect and the hacker looked up and caught her inquisitive gaze.

"Thank God you're ok. What happened? I saw the news and then the NSA people…" His voice clearly mirrored the anguish he had been feeling for the last half an hour.

As she sat on the chair next to him Max sighed and wondered where she should begin her story, in any case her knowledge about the events of the night were so limited that probably the news had more information than her.

"Nothing makes sense anymore." She knows she sounds tired and childish not exactly the attitude she will be striving for, but she has been thinking about everything and in deed nothing made sense for her anymore.

Logan looked puzzled at her… "What do you mean, what happened?"

"We went to the party and did mingle around. Then Sokolov greeted Alec as if both of them were good old friends and they went inside of his studio. An hour later I found Alec leaving the embassy with a shocked Sokolov wearing a black coat and telling me he'll be back. Hell broke loose after that when the guards discovered the dead men and that the Ambassador was missing. The police was called and I was held along with the rest of the guests. Alec reappeared half an hour later and then the police released us. That kind of sums it up."

"Where's Alec now?"

"Probably at his place, he left me here with the car." Max placed the car keys on the top of Logan's desk.

Logan took a second to understand what Max had said. Alec had somehow got involved with the three bodies that now lay on the morgue, they had been lucky enough avoiding by minutes an encounter with the NSA and he left without an explanation.

"He just left?"

Max watched at Logan and groaned inwardly, why did he like to repeat the obvious? Didn't she just explain that? "I just told you that."

"Why? How?"

She bit her tongue at the questions, sometimes Logan just rub her on the wrong spot, still she decided to humor him with an answer.

"Why? He said that he was really tired and not in the mood for playing 20 questions. How? He just parked the car and left."

She wasn't mad at Logan but he was successfully irritating her, this game of questions wasn't helping in improving her current mood. Maybe Alec was right when he called it a night, she should have done the same if it wasn't for the doubts that were driving her crazy.

"But…"

Max groaned, yes she had been asking herself the same question. Why? In a normal situation Alec wouldn't have walked out of this so easily. He wouldn't have brushed her off like that, she wouldn't have let him. But this time she did, and that was the frustrating part, why she did it?

"Alec's not the same, he's changed. I don't know how to explain it, there's something different about him."

"What do you mean Max?"

During the last two years Logan believed that he had get to know a little bit of Max complex personality. The doubt and uncertainty in her voice as she talked about Alec worried him.

"It's not like he's becoming mental. It's the way he acts, there some vibe about him that wasn't there before, and his eyes… Logan I swear I saw golden flecks on them, that's not normal even for us."

She wasn't comfortable talking about this with Logan. He never knew but she found the pictures Lydecker gave him a couple of days later, it had explained the way he looked at her, the reason of the sudden hesitation in his eyes when he talked to her.

Having to tell him now that she suspected something was different with Alec brought back home her own insecurities, however besides Logan there was no one else who could have the resources to find out what was going on with Alec.

"The night of the storm, when I told you that he seemed off, right?" Logan was looking at her with a worried expression.

She nodded at his question… "That was the first time I saw him acting differently."

Logan remembered Lydecker's words _'__They were designed to kill. Coldly...efficiently...and happily. All they need is a trigger'._

"So you don't think that he will react like Ben did?"

Her eyes widened at the implication of Logan's question. She had seen Ben's eyes and the emotions in 

them; this, whatever it is… was not the same. Ben had been scared and lost in a world that had more questions than answers, when he was incapable of getting the answers he needed desperately Ben chose to make his own rules. He created a world where his actions made sense.

Alec's eyes commanded a respect that reminds her of Zack, it was something untamed, wild and powerful. It wasn't the same thing, she was sure of it.

And even if this would end up being the same thing that pushed Ben to the limit, there was no way she would let Alec fall into it. She would help him no matter how much he screamed and fought her; she would not leave him to fight this on his own. She would not abandon him.

"It's not the same thing Logan."

"How can you be sure? You weren't there when it started; for all we know it could be the same thing."

"I just know. I need you to find out if there were more information about Alec in the Manticore files you have, missions, trainings, things like that. Can you do it?"

"I'll look into it, but Max we should consider the possibility…"

"It's not the same, trust me on this."

Logan looked at her serious expression, the stiff posture of her back and determined look on her eyes. He didn't trust himself with words, so he opted for something else. His gloved hand reached for her and squeezed her left hand softly. He was agreeing with her, accepting her word, trusting her, at least for now.

* * *

**_Tbilisi, Georgia  
__February 14__th__ 2015_**

There was an old saying 'When in Rome do as the Romans do'; applied to their current location they should probably say 'When in Georgia made sure to learn Georgian'. In any case Seth heartily agreed with the need to assume the local customs as well as the local language. Although considering that he and Mark were Beta team in this operation, he was not exactly sure when he was going to put in practice those three days he spent learning Georgian.

Seth groaned as another snowflake fell against the window's crystals. Onyx's eyes glared at the moon lightened street, from all the time to be in Europe, they had to be in the middle of winter in a Caucasus country where the only thing to see was tons of snow covering everything that should be visible.

It wasn't a secret; in fact he had a sneaking suspicious that his current location was the result of his publicly renowned annoyance about cold weather and low temperatures.

The rest of their merry band seemed unfazed about the climate conditions, Nicole and Alec never really commented about that topic and Mark would be happy living in an igloo.

He decided that the documents he was currently scanning could be left alone for a couple of minutes. He needed a break and something interesting in order to get a new perspective. Lazily he rested his back against the chair and watched at his CO, Alec was completely engrossed in studying the facial expressions of his SIC who was lost gazing at a distant point far away on the horizon.

Seth was aware of the additional responsibility on the shoulders of both D1 members, for a relatively smaller project in comparison with Manticore; Prometheus had a complexity that could put on shame the former.

The Elite was a simple prove of it.

The special unit was composed of only ten members, who had been selected from the X5 series developed by Manticore. The hierarchy of command inside the Elite was conformed by the D1, whose members were respectively the CO, SIC, 1st Lt. and 2nd Lt. It was usually the D1 who participated in regular meetings with the Committee members, it was also the D1 members where the major part of responsibility was placed, whether it was a success or a failure.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Alec watched, amused, as Nicole bit her lower lip, distracted; her chin resting on the back of her hand as her eyes got lost in the distance; she had been looking like that for the last half an hour.

From personal and previous experience he's well aware of the risks involved in interrupting her when she's acting like that. They will have to leave the hotel room soon, morning was approaching and they will need to get back inside Sokolov's house.

There were cons when you're portraying to be part of an agency that's not yours, usually you ended up doing double work, but that was the lesser of the evils the worst part were the insane amounts of reports needed to be delivered to all the parts involved. At this rate paperwork will be the end of him.

For this particular mission it had been Georgia's government who requested support for its delicate internal situation to the Council of the European Union, whom in turn contacted the MI-5 and from there on the matter landed on Prometheus hands.

The MI-5 had approached Prometheus' Committee requesting collaboration with Georgia's unstable political situation. As expected the Committee had jumped on the opportunity to strength the bonds with the British agency and approved the mission designating Colonel Brunner as the handler and coordinator of the operation that received the name of 'Tbilisi Engagement'.

Col. Brunner had been less than excited with the idea of working along with the foreign agency and the fact that the Elite teams will need to be acknowledge as MI-5 agents was the icing of the cake for the military man whose dislike about the British in general was well known.

Besides playing the MI-5 agents during the day, both of them had to complete daily reports to Georgia's Minister of Defense and also to Col. Brunner, although the latter task had been delegated to Mark and Seth.

Twice a week they had to deliver a report to the Committee, whom were expecting a smooth solution for this conflict; in fact they had requested a non blood resolution in a reasonable period of time. The accurate translation was 'Don't take more than a month to clean this mess and do it efficiently'.

This was the third consecutive mission they had been assigned where the handler was merely the buffer between them and another party. The actual profiles were done by them either at headquarters or on location, as well as the design of strategies and the responsibility for the actions they took, resources were requested trough the handler but otherwise it was also their call and so far there had not been observation regarding it.

The first two mission completed under these new parameters had been a blatant success, proving once again the effectiveness of The Elite when it comes to results. It was expected that this one will follow along the same lines; the only difference was the interaction with a foreign intelligence agency.

A sharp sound made him look at the person in front of him. The pen that she had been holding seconds ago now was nailed in the middle of the table. Three pairs of eyes focused on the teenage girl sitting in front of them.

The sound had interrupted Alec's internal musing and he speculated if she had managed to nail the pen by ramming it or if she had manipulated the air molecules' around it.

"Care to share with us why did you decided to stab our table?" Mark asked grinning at her; Nicole's unexpected reactions were notorious inside the Elite.

"It was the table or one of you." She remarked without blinking.

Seth smiled at her reply, "Then by all means, the table was a wise choice."

His eyes sparkled with anticipation; finally there will be something interesting to talk about.

She moaned cranking her neck. "Guys we were missing the point here."

"What do you mean?" Seth raised an eyebrow at her comment.

Nicole grinned knowingly at the question, "There had been at least five charges against Kerensky regarding violent crimes, all the cases were either archived or dropped. The man had been untouchable until he was deposed."

Alec checked the aforementioned data on his laptop before commenting. "There weren't any proves to sustain them. The man was accused of rapping and killing at least five girls, parents or family ended up dropping the case. None of the demands ended on a trial."

"Exactly. He was in the government first and then he managed to find a group of influential sponsors inside Georgia to cover his back. This could easily be the clean solution the Committee expects from us."

Nicole watched expectantly at the three of them, waiting for the storm of questions that was sure to follow her explanation.

"What about the MI-5 parameters?" Mark really hated collaborative missions; it was a headache to comply with the requirements of all the sides involved.

"Those can be included. Their main request is to keep Evy safe, which Nicole and I can do." Alec replied and Seth recognized the mission mode tone, still he couldn't help but inquire.

"Evy?"

"Don't ask." Was Alec's brief reply.

"Yes Sir." He grinned knowing that the story behind the nickname was probably amusing. "Don't we need something stronger and recent to shake his ground?" he added.

Nicole smiled sadly. "Take a look at the daughter's death" she handed him a printed sheet.

"12 year-old Anna Kerensky jumped from the third floor of her house dying instantly at the impact." Seth's voice floated in the room.

"What were the autopsy results?" Asked Mark.

"No autopsy or forensic procedure were done, daddy dearest's request." Replied Alec.

Seth ventured on the possible reasons for denying the autopsy, "Religious beliefs?"

"Kerensky doesn't strike me as the faith in god type of man." Observed Mark.

Nicole nodded at him as she added, "I'm betting on more personal reasons. Given the man's background 

what could probably be the reasons for his 12 year-old girl to jump from a third floor?"

"Incest. Tacky. The man is a real piece of work." Mark replied coldly.

"I don't know for sure, but I think we should follow this lead, because if I'm not mistaken Sayyid Bonab, Azerbaijan Prime Minister, has also a younger daughter, exactly the same age of Anna when she died. What would daddy Bonab do if he found out that his hero of the revolution is nothing more than a pedophile responsible for his own daughter's death?"

"I love that twisted brain of yours" Nicole glared in Alec's direction for the questionable flattering comment.

"It's a non blood solution indeed", remarked Seth.

Mark rested his elbows on the table as he moved away the folders. "Destroying his reputation will carve his followers' base as well to scare away his sponsors. No one wants to be linked with a guy like him. What if it's not true?"

"Will it really matter considering that it was true the other five times?" Nicole considered that even if it was something they had to fabricate it will bring some sort of justice to all the women and families he had destroyed.

Mark agreed with her point of view, it was not a normal occurrence for them to fabricate stories, but in this case he wouldn't complain about it. "Not really, actually it will be ironic if it wouldn't be true."

"I'm afraid in this case it is. But I'll talk to Anna's old classmates to gather all the evidence available. She would have been fifteen this year."

Alec watched as her eyes became glazed, she was dealing with the ghosts from her own past now.

They could continue tomorrow, at least now they had a better perspective regarding the curse of action they could use.

"For now this is our best option. Let's follow through people."

All of them nodded but only two left the chairs they were occupying. Alec and Nicole took their jackets and scarves and dressed up, the constant snow had made the temperature drops once again; people said this was the coldest winter of the last ten years.

They had entered the hotel unnoticed thanks to Nicole's perspective of what qualified as an entrance; therefore they had to leave in the same fashion. The girl in question tied her hair in ponytail before walking toward the window and checking the street below.

"People have to be crazy to go for a walk at 4:00 am during winter and in this weather." Alec commented as he mirrored her actions.

"Better to be safe then, people get crazy during full moon." She smiled as he opened the window and both of them stood outside on the cornice with their backs pressed against the windows' crystals. At her nod both of them jumped, their fall lasted the five floors of the Marriot Hotel with a landing that was barely perceptible by their footprints on the snow.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

They had been walking together for five minutes and she hadn't uttered a single word, the lack of speech on her part was starting to worry him.

Alec looked at her for a second time; she was once more lost in her thoughts. "How are you?"

"Good I guess, why you ask?" Nicole looked at him funnily.

"Because, its not the first assignment of this kind that you're going to take. Are you ready for this?"

"Straight to the point as always." She replied sharply, but her eyes changed slightly and the cobalt blue adjusted on a light shade of blue. "I was ten at that time Alec, completely different situations. I'm only going to ask questions this time"

"I just…"

She smiled at him, and took his hand on hers as they walked on the street.

"Nothing bad is going to happen this time."

"So can you swear that you're not going to die on me again?" His words were mocking but the look on his face showed how disturbed he was by reliving the same situation once again.

"I was in a comma not dead." She pushed him softly and prompted him into a run.

He held her hand as they run across the deserted snow covered street. Holding her is a reassurance for his mind, that for now he can protect her.

Sometimes he wonders what he would do if she would disappear, if someday he would be too late to protect or save her. Those times he promised himself that it will never happen, but he knows deep inside that their lives will always be under the shadow of the uncertainty.

The future they protect is ambiguous when it comes to their own lives.

* * *

Alec opened his eyes slowly, adjusting them at the dim light of his room. He can still hear her voice inside his head, the way her eyes changed when she talked.

_Where were all of them now?  
__Where was she now?  
__Have they been looking for him?_

She had played an essential part in his life, he just knows that. There were a lot of things he's still unacquainted with, but Alec is quite sure that she was important for him as well as the rest of them.

The sense of belonging felt strong; the relations between them appeared to flow easily despite the difference in characters and the opposite personalities. It felt like home, something he hasn't feel in a long time, something he didn't know he had experienced.

He groaned as a ray of light chose that moment to cross the room and hit his eyes. The sun in the mornings could be such a loathsome entity, who could want something bright and shiny as the first thing in the day.

It was inevitable the morning has come and with it the time to face the consequences for his actions. He hated the idea of having to explain his actions, but knew nevertheless that when dealing with Logan, the self-appointed knight in white armor of Seattle, it was unavoidable.

The longer an explanation could be; the happier Logan would be. It wasn't bad as a concept, after all the more detailed a report was the better and reliable the Intel will be. The thing was that he wasn't used to explain himself with people whom were not part of a command line or a hierarchy, in short his brain doesn't consider reasonable to explain his actions to outside people whom were not perceived as authority figures.

He had acknowledged Renfro's authority solely because she held the position of Manticore's Director.

Alec was skeptical that Max's odd behavior from last night will repeat today, it had been an enjoyably surprise to be able to walk out of the situation unscathed. Probably it had been a once in a life time experience.

The clock on his nightstand marked the 06:00 am, he had at least two hours to prepare himself and work on the story he will bestow on them. There was no way in this lifetime that he would let somebody in on what was really happening with him, and that personal rule included Max and specially Logan. Those memories and newly found abilities were something he was going to deal on his own; after all they were part of his life, a life he was slowly re-discovering.

* * *

_**Brussels, Belgium**_

The look of the Great Marked Square in Brussels easily takes people's breath away. By the end of the afternoon the lights bestowed on the whole structure a golden glow that simply transports the onlookers to the time of fairy tales, princess and demons.

Residents walk around used to the view, tourist stood in awe at the beauty of the place. From her position next to the open window she can't help but fall under the spell of the city once again.

Her sight left the window as she focused on the mirror in front of her. The reflection had inevitable changed within the years; still the age she appears to have and the years she had lived in reality will never be the same. It was like that for all of them, it had been like that for the ones before them and it will be like that for the ones whom will take their place later.

Artemis was the name given to her by the Committee when she and the others became the new Elite. It had been a long time since then, and there's almost nothing left from the naïve and carefree girl that she used to be.

She had changed not only her name and country along these years; she had experienced love and hate, pleasure and pain, gain and loss. There had been moments when her faith and beliefs were shaken, when she questioned the reasons why they were still fighting for people who will never learn from the mistakes they made.

Sometimes it seemed like a lost cause.

Humanity lacks of compassion and usually unheard the voice of reason. Wars repeat their cycle of destruction with the same accuracy of a well oiled machine. The greedy nature of the human beings doesn't surprise her anymore, what shocked her was that the blow was deliver at her own house. They dared to attack her kids and her family, and that had been their worst mistake.

Artemis had never considered herself as a vindictive person, although she had been known to be a merciless opponent and a ruthless enemy. Maybe she was vindictive after all.

From the original ten members of the Committee she preceded only five remained alive. Her brother was one of the casualties of the winter of 2018. Not even the Elite had left unscathed, although the chances of reuniting them had better odds than resurrecting the dead.

Alec and Nicole, she never mentions their names in front of other people, it's less painful for her to do it like that. She always uses the names bestowed on them, Hades and Nix, and later on she prefers to regard them as missions. She had lost too many people in all of these years, perhaps she's getting old and becoming soft, possibly she's tired of watching the people she cares about die, maybe is a combination of everything.

Alec has been found alive and that knowledge brings her relief. Nicole is still missing, and she prays to a god that she never believed on that she is also alive.

The distant sound of the cathedral's bells reminded her that there's a meeting waiting for her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-

Sitting on the large room CeCe can't help but feel a little bit anxious. The illumination is provided by the dozens of candles and while the atmosphere seems enchanting she has the niggling sensation that something is about to happen. Her presentiments are usually accurate and this time she feels that whatever is going to happen is not going to be good.

The curtains covered partially the large windows and she glanced at the outside through a small gap between the fabric and the crystal. She remembers that Nicole had loved the old continent as much as her mentor Artemis. Personally CeCe regarded Brussels as one of her favorite cities. The fact that one of the Elite quarters is located on the city is simply a bonus.

Maximus had always considered funny that the coat of arms of the city illustrates the Archangel Michael as he slays the devil. The Elite mission and goals were pretty similar, although the members were not angels and they didn't fight against evils or demons, their fights were not on the supernatural field, it had always been among humans who can be evil enough.

A current of air filtered in the room and the candle flames followed the new direction. Clear blue eyes looked at the door and found the slim and distinguished figure of Artemis as she crossed the room to sit at the head of the table.

Only five of the elders are present, only two of the original members of the D1 remained.

Things had definitely changed in the last two years. The D1 original structure would maybe be complete once again; at least they were working on that. The missing members of the Committee were lost forever.

"Ipsa scientia potestas est" Artemis initiated the meeting with the same words that had been used since the beginning of time.

'Knowledge itself is power' the words had been part of the mantra they had learned since they were kids, knowledge, information, data, facts, it's all the same and held equal importance in their lives.

History told humanity that wars could have been avoided if the parties involved had the right information. Lives could be saved if people would have the needed knowledge. Those whom possessed knowledge always ruled the fate of the world.

Eight voices replied at unison "Id est."

"Two days ago we successfully intercepted a phone call between James Ackerman and Senator Alex Crane. Crane was one of the main sponsors during President Richardson's Campaign. During the conversation Ackerman boasted about their participation on a specific incident that took place on 2018, he regarded about it as 'the red winter'. It has come to our knowledge that Ackerman is in possession of tapes of conversations and even films of meetings between himself and Senator Crane before and after."

There was a glint of satisfaction on Artemis's green eyes, the look of someone who is closer to get retribution from an offense suffered.

"That despicable excuse of man is blackmailing his employers now. How noble of him, should we send him a greeting card?"

Balthazar was the oldest member of the Committee and probably the more impetuous among them. Action first reasons later was his trademark expression, being on his eighties he considered time as something precious and loathed people who attempted to waste his.

"Now Balthazar do you really think that I will call on a gathering just to let you know that I've tapped a line?"

Green eyes glared defiantly at the older man as both of them stared a staring contest. The awkward silence was broken as Maximus interceded

"Artemis, Balthazar that's enough". The deep horse voice with a German accent made them look away at the same time. "For god sakes we're too old for this childish behavior, even more when we're so close to achieving our goals. Artemis please do continue".

CeCe would have snickered at the scene if she wouldn't have known for experience what kind of punishment could Maximus came up with. Still the sight of two of the most powerful Committee members been reprimanded by the big man was priceless.

"We believe that those tapes are being kept inside the main building of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Washington." Artemis glanced back at Balthazar expecting his comment, although it was Finn who asked the question.

"Well, that's ironic. Do we know if the DARPA Director is aware of it?"

"No way to know about it yet Erebos. But we're working on it."

Finn resisted the automatic reaction of rolling his eyes at the anointed name the Committee chose for him. During those meetings real names were never used; instead every member of the Committee and the Elite had a code name that was chosen based on Greek and Roman mythology.

"Then we should also look for a link between Ackerman and the DSCA. Boreas reported an incident between DSCA agents and Georgia's current Ambassador. The confirmed Intel we have is that the DSCA approached Sokolov claiming that the NSA was no longer in charge of them. Three of their agents died hours ago and a forth has been injured when they attempted to kill Sokolov. We have reasons to suspect these agents were involved in forging proofs of white slavery and guns traffic against Sokolov."

Biggs finished explaining the Committee members and also Finn, CeCe and Kevin. His flight had arrived late and he was unable to talk with them previously.

Maximus massaged his temple, this was something unexpected. The enemy was getting nervous and careless to make that kind of mistakes. "Who killed the DSCA agents? Was it the work of the Embassy's security or another agency got involved?"

Biggs took a deep breath before replying, he took a big chance by ordering Neil not to interfere in the matter, and he will have to face the Committee response as well as Finn's.

"Actually it was Hades work. Boreas was all the time at the site in case things get out of hand; he called Hathaway from the NSA to clean up the scene. So far the NSA orchestrated a cover story and blamed the Russian Gangs activities in the city."

Finn was barely suppressing the rage he was feeling at the moment. The water in the glass in front of him started swirl in a slow motion as small bubbles began forming in the surface. The pressure on his left thigh force him to look in that direction and he encountered the light blue eyes of CeCe, the silent request to calm himself was clear in her gaze. He was in command now and if he had learned something from watching Alec was to always keep his emotions in control. Always keep it cool.

"Erebos, why haven't we been notified about the change of status in the Hades Recovery Mission?"

Artemis tone leave no room for mistake, the lady was pissed of.

Finn's calm exterior could have made Alec proud of him as he replied her. "We were waiting to see Stage One completed before presenting the results. Observation is the key factor on this stage and we wanted to present a complete report about the advance, besides Artemis this meeting has been scheduled with less than a 24 hours notice while we were still doing the recon."

Balthazar regarded the young man in front of him suspiciously, he knows them since they were kids, he learned to recognize their first reactions and judging the interaction between CeCe and Finn he could bet that Finley is ready to kill his own SIC. He decided to speed up the events.

"Did Circe approve the interaction between Hades and Sokolov at this stage of the process?"

Biggs winced as he ventured a brief glance in the direction of the current CO of the Elite; Finn had a cold smile plastered on his lips as he replied. "She approved interactions as long as there's at least an observer on site. In this case originally Thanatos and Boreas were going to be there."

Demos, whom until that moment had refrained to make a comment, looked hard at him.

"It was a fearless move, too risky in my opinion. There's too much at stake for that kind of games Erebos, remember that next time you decide to play daring."

"What's done is done, there's no point of discussing about matters of the past. What's your hypothesis about the DSCA involvement?" Artemis timing was something Finn will be forever grateful.

"At first I thought that it could be an isolated case but the situation is pretty similar to the affair in Cairo that we had to clean up two months ago. Only this time we arrived early before they could have time to set the field.

Their targets seem to be subjects from completed missions that we participated on the past which had a great relevance at the time, missions that granted us the resources and benefits we obtained from the different governments. They're aiming to tarnish our work by staining the causes for which we fought before."

Maximus nodded at the explanation. "It's a plausible cause. We'll run a check on the current status of all the missions."

"Would you need our collaboration for the Ackerman Agenda?" It was the first time Kevin intervened during all the meeting.

"Not for this part. We'll let you know if that notion change. Any other thing regarding the Hades' Recovery Mission?"

"Well as all of you know Stage One has been successfully completed. We will start Stage Two as soon as CeCe leaves for Seattle. May will be arriving today and proceed to monitor the progress, she would stay five days for a close observation leaving Neil and CeCe in Seattle. Biggs and I will complete the Tanaka Agenda and I'll be flying to Seattle in a week or so."

Biggs felt like a buck of ice water was thrown on him, Finn had taken him off the mission, or at least it looked like that according to his explanation about the upcoming plans. He never expected that Finn will react like that.

Artemis seemed satisfied with the reply she got from the current CO of the Elite. "Any news about Nix's Recovery Mission?"

For an instant there's a glimmer of hope in the older woman's eyes, it died moments later when she saw the expression on Finn's face.

"Not yet, but we have reasons to believe that when Hades regain his memory he will be able to provide us with the Intel needed."

There was a silent pause before Demos asked what the rest of the Committee had been thinking.

"And if he doesn't?"

CeCe looked calmly at the older member and proceed to reply the question. "We're still keeping track of her by the normal methods. If something arises you will be notified."

"Is there some other matter that should be called to our attention?" Artemis asked the eight individuals looking at her.

The unison negative reply signaled the end of the meeting as a two third of the candles were blown out and the sound of chairs being pushed against the wooden floor could be heard.

Artemis' voice was clearly heard by all of them. "Erebos please stay."

Finn cringed inwardly at the request of the Head of the Committee; he could bet that it will be related to the situation at the Embassy. He remained sit as the other six people abandoned the room and watched as the shadows were projected on the white wall in front of him.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken but you found out about Hades status at the same time as we did, don't you Erebos?"

Finn sighed and nodded defeated, there was no point on lying to Artemis now.

"Thanatos nature had never been so reckless, is there something else that I should know?"

"Not that I'm aware of Artemis."

"Don't be too hard on him. It's probably the expectation." She recommended.

"It wasn't his call to make that decision; he should know by now what's at stake."

"Indeed. You can go now."

As Finn closed the door, Artemis blew out the remaining candles leaving the room in the darkness. Sitting there alone surrounded by the shadows she questioned herself if their decision of getting involved with the government when they started the Prometheus project twenty five years ago had been a good idea.

They had paid for their arrogance of believing themselves everlasting, untouched by time. They forgot that time did not stop for anyone, not even them. Most of them lost the opportunity to leave their mark in this earth by being too concerned on the present, never seeing that it was the future what they were endangering. Other lost their offspring by natural causes, accidents, wars.

One way or another they found themselves empty handed of descendants to continue on the mission they received a long time ago.

Their valuable and unique genetic code was in danger of disappearing and that's when they decided to use the government for their own purposes. At the beginning they were only interested on self-preservation, but as Manticore scientists experimented revving up the genetic make up of the kids, they decided that it will only be fair if the next generation of the Elite was equal with these soldiers. They witnessed as Manticore lost their objectivity in the early years and created Prometheus in order to correct the wrong they helped creating.

Only time will tell if they took the right decision.

* * *

Biggs heard the door being opened and prepared himself for what was coming. Emerald and brown eyes clashed together and now he was aware how pissed of was Finn.

"That could rank as the dumbest thing you have done. In fact considering that you usually think things two or three times before acting, is the dumbest and reckless thing you could have done."

Biggs received the blow to his pride in silence as Finn continued talking.

"Don't you think that it was important to inform me about the situation? I found out about it at the same time that the Committee, I carry a damn phone with me all the time for situations like this. What were you thinking?"

"I took what I considered the best decision, Sir."

Biggs knew that Finn was not fond of lectures, and while he admitted that he should have notify his CO about his decision, he was ready to defend what he consider to be right.

"It wasn't your call Biggs."

"Finn, I took the risk, you would have done the same thing."

Green eyes stared coldly at the man in front of him.

"It wasn't your risk to take and it wasn't your choice. It was mine along with the responsibility for it. And you're wrong; I wouldn't have chose to put on jeopardy all the hard work of the last months only because I wanted to speed up the process, I wouldn't have put Alec's life in danger. You were well aware of the risks; you were sitting next to me when May went through the details."

Finn's words had successfully affected him. He never intended on endangering Alec's life when he ordered Neil to not interfere, he had done what he considered the best choice.

"I did what Nicole would have done." Biggs replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No you didn't. Nicole never played god with our lives. She never left Alec in the dark and she never left him on a vulnerable position in front of the Committee. From now on Biggs, you are no longer involved with the Hades Recovery Mission."

"You can't do this." Desperation laced Biggs voice.

"I already did. Our flight leaves in four hours, be ready by then."

Biggs watched as Finn's stare didn't falter once. He had made his decision and there was no turning back now. He had screwed up.

"Yes sir."

_To be continued_


	8. The Man You Never Met

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**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Kita and Jenna, as always their help was highly appreciated.  
I'm really sorry about the delay of this update, moving and starting on a new job proved to be quite distracting, hopefully this won't repeat and updates will be back to their weekly status.  
Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think about it.

* * *

_**Chapter 07  
**__**The Man You Never Met**_

He had been glaring at the door for the last ten minutes, arriving early to an appointment was not always the best thing. Ordinarily he would have picked the lock and let himself into Logan's apartment, usually he would have stridden in as if he owned the place… any other day but today.

Today he would rather be standing at the gates of hell and waiting happily for endless damnation than standing here.

Alec knew that frowning at the piece of wood wasn't helping or taking him anywhere; after all, what's the point of giving the evil eye to an inanimate object if you don't even get the pleasure of seeing it shrink in fear. It was silly, and he knew it, but it didn't stop him from giving a last scowl at the door as he crossed the threshold and walked inside Eyes Only's domain.

The sooner he got over the whole thing, the better he would be feeling.

As he strode casually into the foyer, he was able to see Logan and Max as they shared breakfast in the kitchen; the domestic scene he witnessed struck him as something oddly familiar…as though it was something he had seen before.

_The smell of fresh coffee filled his nostrils as he served himself a cup; he gave a pointed look at the coffee maker. He could have sworn the pot was full ten minutes ago and the only thing he had done in that time was a quickly visit to the bakery across the street._

"_I think a whole family of elves is living in our kitchen." He commented out loud as he was looking for the sugar in one of the cupboards. _

_The answer from the other person in the room is muffled and he only made out a strangled "Uh?"_

_As he took a piece of a bagel he continued, "Or maybe we had coffee addicted ghosts, I heard those can be a plague."_

_He heard a laugh at his back and his lips curved into a smile as he felt a pair of arms sneaking _

_around his waist. His coffee cup had been abandoned on the counter as his hand touched hers. The sound of a soft laugh is heard as he realized that she had successfully taken his cup of coffee._

"_Maybe what I have is a coffee addicted girlfriend," he mocked her, as he started once again a search for another cup. _

Alec blinked away the images; the whole thing had thrown him off. Was that part of a memory of his personal life or something else… something he did for a mission?

Nonetheless, he appeared to be awfully comfortable, like if being there acting like that was part of his normal life. He hadn't seen the girl's face, though it wasn't needed. There was something familiar about her. A thing he couldn't place yet.

Logan and Max raised their heads that the same time and looked at him. Alec watched the pair as his mind left behind the strange memory, now was the time to face the music. His lips curved on a grin, an expression that by now could be considered his trade mark, as he sat on a chair at the opposite side of the couple.

"Logan my man, breakfast included missions? You're spoiling me." Alec mocked them as he took a pastry from the tray.

"Alec…" Max gave him a look that spoke loud and clear a silent message 'quit the childish act or you'll see'.

Raising a hand in the air, Alec replied still in a playful tone. "If you wanted it so badly, I could have bought some muffins."

Logan looked at the X5's unconcerned attitude and resisted the impulse on calling both of them. Max's reactions only served a purpose and that was to incite Alec in getting her more riled up. Deciding to cut the banter between them he nodded at him. "Alec."

"Logan."

Alec waited silently for what he supposed was going to be the lecture of all the times, only wondering who might deliver it, will it be Logan making special attention on the value of human lives or it might be Max remarking once again the reckless and careless of his actions.

Actually, Max had yet to say anything since her brief warning… and that was possibly even stranger than her behavior from last night.

She had been eyeing him thoughtfully and he was starting to feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. Max had never looked at him, she glared at him on daily basis, scowled at him at least twice a day, glanced in his direction in order to avoid direct contact whenever it was possible unless she was aiming for a punch, but she had never really looked at him. Right now the feeling of her eyes 

studying him was disturbing.

He had been perfectly comfortable with being ignored, summoning only the desire attention he wanted and for a specific amount of time.

Alec never intended to become best friends with the fiery brunette, although at some point he'd hoped to get on better terms with her. Maybe it had been the guilt he felt about the cure she lost on his account or maybe it had been the need to know that there was someone else like him, someone who could understand.

Whatever it had been, he had comprehended months ago that Max was simply not ready to get along with someone like him.

Most likely it was the fact that he reminded her of the dead 'brother'. Accurately it had been his brother not hers, and she should be thankful for that. Despite the kick-ass-girl façade, he wasn't sure if Max would have been able to survive months of re-indoctrination if he had been 493's twin.

Perhaps it was the fact that he never acted like he cared about anything or anyone besides himself, but if that was the reason then Max was a hypocrite. OC had slipped some time ago that he reminded her of Max before she met Logan, always pretending to not really care, always keeping people at an arms distance. From all the ordinaries he had come in contact with, Cindy was probably the most open minded of all them. There was no ounce of reprobation or prejudice in her eyes, she had accepted Max without a question, and to some degree she had accepted him. It was amazing how insightful could Original Cindy be, even when she didn't mean it.

No, he never dreamed about the possibility of being friends with Max.

The look on her eyes as the scientist walked out of the door was clear enough for him. And the look on her eyes as she watched Zack when the blonde X5 was chocking him was only a reassurance. Max could considered him as a fellow X5 on the best days, but both of them knew that he would never be contemplated as family.

He didn't get the whole story about Zack's departure. Though, it had surprised him how fast the former CO had left. Alec had expected that Max would keep the big brother closer; after all she had lectured him about family and his ignorance on the subject. On the other hand, he had been right. Brother Zack was interested in little Maxie and it wasn't the family kind of affection.

He could easily spend his morning analyzing his past interactions with Max and Logan, but he wasn't looking for that. They had been sitting in silence for ten minutes and he was getting bored. The lack of reactions from both defenders of the justice was bewildering.

Alec cleared his throat, but the pair remained soundless. Apparently today he will be the one doing all the talking.

Where did the playful mood he attempted to create gone? He could no longer trust on baiting Max 

as a way to divert attention if Logan was in the vicinity. The hacker was depriving him of his favorite hobby, where was the fairness on that. The sooner the better he reminded himself as he took the first step on Useless Explanations 101.

"Max probably told you the main events of last night. Though, she didn't know that I met Evgraf Sokolov a year ago during a mission in Georgia. Before you start asking let me make it clear, when you showed us the picture I thought I'd seen him somewhere but I couldn't figure out the place. I assumed that maybe it had been at the news. In the party, he recognized me and I stayed with him all the time. Oh, by the way, your Intel was not accurate, the rumors about white slavery and illegal guns was part of a plot of some agents from the DSCA…"

"Why did you have to kill them?" Max asked with a deep and hoarse voice.

Alec sighed, what had he been thinking when he questioned Max's silence. Silence is always better.

"They were going to kill both of us, and probably frame me for it. It was a decision I don't regret Max, it was saving the ambassador's life or doing nothing and allowed them to kill us. So you see, I thought that considering that the man was innocent, there was no reason to let them kill him."

Max hated guns ever since Eva's death. She loathed the damage a single bullet could cause, and was repulsed by the sole idea of shooting someone. "Couldn't it be avoided?"

Has he not responded a very similar question just seconds ago? Alec wondered what exactly could be categorized as a good reason to shoot a person in Max's book; apparently saving your life wasn't good enough these days, neither was saving an innocent person.

Should he tell her exactly what had happened? …

'_Let me see, there were four guns pointing at me and a sixty year-old man. If my memory served me right I only shot the gun four times. I stabbed one of them in the jugular with a pen, then I shot the other straight in the heart, the other went down with a clean shot through the head and one shot to each knee of the one that survived. I didn't kill them all Max. One was left alive, aren't you proud of me?_'

In fact, he could imagine that happening, in a galaxy far away from here.

"Sure, it could have been avoided Max but you do realize that in the process of avoiding shooting the bad guys the ambassador or I would have ended up seriously injured right?. And if it would have been me, there were good chances that I might have ended up in a hospital, where they probably would have run those lovely tests they're so fond of. Could you imagine the exposure?"

She eyed him warily, before replying "We're X5's Alec. Four against one is not supposed to be that complicated."

"It's not if you're on your own. I was with a man that is over sixty whose reflexes are not the same, who moves slower. Would you have preferred that I risked his life in order to keep alive the bad guys, Max?"

She was not going to let him turn the tables on her, she might have been dazzled last night but it wasn't going to be a repeated performance. "You could have asked for my…"

"Help? Is that what you are suggesting that I've done? That's your master plan? Exactly how did you expect that I asked for your help, should I have telepathically contacted you? Better yet, ask them to hold the fire for a minute to call my backup team? Just tell me how and I'll write it down and use it next time." He snickered at her.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then, what did you mean Max?" There was a defy tone in his voice.

"You left with him alone."

"Max, Sokolov didn't know about you but he trusted me. Besides, that was the plan if my memory is still working, right? The plan super hero boy proposed."

"What I'm saying is that there's always a way." She replied stubbornly.

"You're wrong Max. Sometimes the question only accepts two kinds of answers, yes or no. Sometimes if someone lives the other person dies. It's called life and there's nothing you can do to change it. Will you feel better if I tell you that I'm feeling sorry for having killed them? ...Well I can't do it."

His voice had held a steeled note, and the harshness of his words made her flinch, but his final assumption of not regretting it took her by surprise. "What?"

"They were corrupt agents from the DSCA who were about to shoot me Max, I'm not sorry it was them and not me." He really didn't want to have this conversation, it was exhausting and useless. Alec knew that his voice sounded strangled in a weak attempt to try and make her understand his point of view.

Logan looked at the pair; his eyes squinted behind the glasses as he fought the desire to sigh. The tension inside the room increased with every passing second as neither of the X5's broke their stare contest.

"Is the ambassador ok?" he finally asked.

"Yes, he's safe." Alec answered briefly.

"Why did you leave the Embassy with him only to come back later?"

"I needed to keep him safe and at the moment I have no knowledge if there were more men of the DSCA in the building. I came back later, after dropping Sokolov at the hospital, even if there were more men I could have managed on my own or with Max's help."

Max witnessed the conversation without interfering this time, Alec's words still ringed on her head. She spared him a look when she heard his declaration of accepting her help. Now more than ever she doubted he will ever ask anything from her. Not even when he was about to die with a bomb attached at his neck he did asked her.

He could have, but he didn't.

She took that decision for both of them.

"The NSA arrived shortly after you two left." Logan looked at him gauging for his reaction, the calmness of his voice surprised him.

"Well, at least that was expected." Alec started to count the seconds in his head before the weight of his answer made impact on any of them.

"Why would you say that?"

And finally it had been Logan who asked the question. Alec raised an eyebrow as he looked at Logan and Max. His lips pursed on a mock of hurt and he sighed before starting…

"Georgia's geographical position is appealing to us, yeah the pulse hit the economy of the country and a large amount of people ended up on the streets but the pulse effect is not going to last forever. The NSA had the control when it comes to Georgia's affairs, while being a strategic place; the country had some pesky neighbors who had internal issues that resulted in a proliferation of different factions. That's what has been worrying the NSA from the very beginning."

"And you decided to omit this piece of information for a particular reason?" Logan looked at him expectantly.

He wanted so badly to roll his eyes at that. He loathed having to give explanations especially under these circumstances.

"I forget about it. Apparently repeated trips to Re-indoctrination do that to your brain."

Max looked closely at him, as if trying to see beyond the body sitting in front of her.

"How have you been feeling lately Alec?"

'Déjà vu' will be the correct term to describe this exact moment. Had she not learn the lesson from the other night? Evidently no, or she had a serious case of denial. Things didn't end up in good terms last time she decided to act concerned about him.

"What do you mean?"

Max passed it as if it had been a slip of tongue. "Nothing, forget I asked."

"Consider it done. Is there something else you needed to know?"

Alec was ready to call it quits, things had taken a weird turn and prolonging the painful conversation between them would do well to no one.

Logan nodded at him and added…"Not now, but I may have some questions later."

"Give me a call. Max I'll see you at work." Just like the last time, Alec didn't wait for a reply; he stood up and walked to the door. Not caring enough to look back.

* * *

Across the street a young man sat cross legged in front of the window of the 10th floor. His eyes were closed as he started rubbing his temple in a slow motion. He had barely paid attention to the conversation going on at the opposite building; he had answered his cell phone almost at the same time as Alec started to talk and missed the whole thing.

The person on the other side of the line was CeCe, who had been at the meeting with the Committee along with Biggs, Finn and her twin brother Kevin. The conversation had lasted less than three minutes; he had been lost in space the remaining twenty after knowing that she would be arriving at Seattle instead of Biggs two days later.

CeCe mentioned something about Finn's last minute decision and Neil got the suspicious feeling that Biggs ended up on the end of Finn's rage.

Both men had a different approach when it comes to plans and actions, and since Finn took the place of Alec as the CO of the Elite, the man had grown up on different levels, he was still reckless but he learned to be patient. Finn was a great commander but had zero tolerance when it comes to disobeying his orders, even more if the impact of the act had relevance in others.

That could have probably been what motivated the change in plans. In other words he had to thank Biggs for his current headache.

CeCe was supposed to arrive with Finn, a week later.  
He had planned to be out of Seattle by that time.  
How come time got so screw up when it comes to him?

Neil hadn't seen her in at least four months, and he would have been a happier man if more time could pass before meeting with her again. CeCe had always been too many things for him, things he was sure he wasn't ready to face.

Maybe it was in their genetic code to be dense when it comes to relationships. The lives of the members of the Elite were demanding, their time was scarce and their explanations about their whereabouts brief to the extreme. A combination like that was not appealing for many people and it didn't matter how nice they look, a person wanted to see the other one when they got from work and that was something none of them could promise.

To begin with the whole thing was Finn's fault.  
Stupid Commander.  
Stupid mission.  
And stupid of him for falling for CeCe during the stupid mission.  
It was plain luck that she was completely clueless about it.

Neil opened his eyes and watched to the front. Alec had left and only Max and Logan could be seen. He better focused on something else besides his future problems related with the female species.

* * *

Logan crossed his arms against his chest, as he commented "Well, he explained."

"He did." Max replied absently.

"I don't think he's changed Max."

"He wasn't happy with all the questions."

Logan raised an eyebrow at her tone, wasn't that actually expected from someone like him?

She run away from Manticore when she was barely a kid, Alec had spent his whole life inside those walls. Max hated the sole idea of killing a person. On the other hand, Alec has a tendency to regard humans' lives on terms of the greater good; if the collateral damage was worth it then he will gladly exchange one life for another. It was the way he had been trained to react; Max would have been the same if she had spent the same amount of time inside of Manticore. If a reaction had been engrained into your brain as the normal behavior why would you even consider the idea of explaining yourself?

"I don't think he likes explaining himself to others." Logan replied absently, wondering how Max would have turned up if she never escaped at the age of nine.

"Yeah, it may be that. Did you find something on the files?"

He nodded at her as both of them walked out of the kitchen and inside his office. His fingers flew over the keyboards as the files covered the screen.

"There were a couple of interesting things. For a start, he wasn't lying about the time he spent at Re-indoctrination. His record showed a large amount of time spent inside the medical ward. There's something weird about it. At least three of his longer stays seemed to be scheduled; the doctors assigned were the same during the three occasions. The first time was around 18 months ago, he spent close to four months there, exactly six months later it was a week, and another week after the next semester, the notes included implied that the next appointment should be by the end of January, after another six months period. Besides those, he also spent more time in the medical ward, although in this case it looked more like random situations rather than something planned, my best guess is disciplinary issues."

"If we would be talking about months, how much time did he spend in Re-indoctrination?"

"The files only covered the last four years of Manticore, and his medical reports considered only the last two years, so it'll be around seven months."

Max winced at the number. That was too much even for Manticore standards.

Logan's voice brought her back to the reality, "There's nothing much besides medical records, reports and data about missions where Alec participated are missing or only partial. They were hiding something, the rest of the X5's files were complete. Do you think Lydecker might not have the authorization to the complete files?"

"Maybe, Deck was not on best terms with Manticore's management at the time. Did you find something else?

"Max, I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Maybe you can talk with him."

"To ask him what? Hey Alec did they torture you enough that now you are starting to feel an insane need to pull people's teeth?" Her chocolate brown eyes glimmered with anger, not exactly at him but at the situation. Max knew Logan didn't deserve that, but she couldn't stop on time.

"What are you expecting me to find Max? A psychological evaluation stating that he might end up like his twin just for you to have a chance and save this brother?"

Her eyes widened and a hurt look crossed her face.

"I have to go." She muttered and started walking to the door.

Logan bit his lip; he crossed the line. He hadn't meant it like that.

"Max, wait. I'm sorry, I didn't imply that…"

She nodded at him, and picked the black leather jacket leaving without a reply.

Logan watched her from the window; the day had gone down to the drain in a matter of seconds and it wasn't even 10 am.

* * *

Neil groaned loudly. Why do people always assume the worst?

Was it too difficult to pin Alec's change of behavior on something less dramatic than presuming the guy had mental issues?

He needed to be impartial; claiming the other side was over dramatic was not the way to affront this situation. What did he know about 493 other than the fact he was Alec's twin and older brother who had a psychopath episode?

Close to nothing if he was going to be honest.

X5 – 493 had been one of the escapees, a niner like Manticore fondly called them as a remembrance of the 09' escape. Twelve kids run away during that winter, 452 or Max was the only one he had came in contact with.

What could have possible happened to 493 inside the real world to push him into insanity? What was the trigger?

The fact that 493 had schizophrenia was not new to any of them. On 2006 the medical staffs who run all the test and analysis for selecting the subjects for Prometheus Project diagnosed 493 with positive signs of schizophrenia; the medical results were presented to both projects, the reasons why Manticore's Director at the time didn't take any action was another proof of the inefficiency reigning on the project's management.

The fact that 493 was an X5 made his condition even more dangerous to the people that surrounded him. Schizophrenia patients were not prone to violence usually preferring to be left alone, but X5's were trained to be violent under specific circumstances. And that small detail made 493 a time bomb waiting to explode, which eventually happened, sadly the X5 left a trail of at least six dead bodies on his path to self-destruction.

Logan and Max theory about Alec suffering of the same mental issue wouldn't be ridiculous now for them if it hadn't been exhaustively tested and discarded from more than a dozen of the most prestigious doctors, after all the identical twin of a person with schizophrenia had a 40 to 65 percent chance of developing the same disorder, lucky for them Alec belonged to the 35 percent that got away with a clean health bill.

Still the issue was too delicate to leave it without interference. Alec probably had a full lot of memories implanted on his brain during the mind re-conditioning process and there was no way to tell how Alec will react if someone confronted him about his twin.

Another thing was bothering him, both Logan and Max mentioned Lydecker as an ally. Exactly how did Colonel Donald Lydecker, Eyes Only and 452 ended up together? They might need to do some research on the subject and get their hands on Logan's files.

Neil was quite aware that he was missing something. His hands run over his light brown hair messing it around. It was frustrating not having all the facts. "Ipsa scientia potestas est", knowledge itself is power and right now he was feeling powerless.

He sighed; he was going to need additional information about the memories implanted on his former CO. A call has taken priority.

* * *

Flying was not exactly one of her favorite activities, and when possible she avoided any kind of interactions between herself and the iron flying structures.

But, and when it comes to life there's always a 'but' more times than a 'perhaps'. There were times like these when driving or taking a boat was not a possibility. When the distances were too large and the time needed too much, on those occasions she will bend and concede, taking a plane was not going to kill her, bother her yes, but she always survived.

She closed her eyes and the scene replayed in her head once again.

"_You are not my mother May, stay out of it." Sapphire blue eyes shined in rage as Nicole eyed the redhead girl in front of her._

"_Of course I'm not your mother Nicole, don't be ridiculous. It doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm talking about." Red head curls moved up and down as May paced in front of the brunette. _

"_I don't want to hear it, so save it." Nicole let out a frustrated sigh as she continued packing the suitcase on the bed._

_May sighed and took of a black small dress from the closet._

"_We don't do this kind of things, these…whatever you think it is, it won't last."_

_Nicole took the dress and throws it into the closet exasperated. "You don't know what you're talking about."_

_The fabric fell onto the floor inside the dresser and moved the hangers with the impact; a black male shirt was hanging in Nicole's closet. May took the shirt and raised it as a proof. "Don't I?"_

May wasn't sure why from all the times she decided to pick up a fight with Nicole that day; it had been the stupidest fight from all history and it was the last time she saw her.

As the oldest female of the Elite, May get used to act as CeCe and Nicole big sister, which was the main reason she got worried when Seth slipped that Nicole was seen someone and it apparently was serious.

CeCe had gotten her heart broken six months ago by a guy who wanted more than what she could give him, he wanted the truth. If May could spare her little sister that experience she will try, although when it came to matters of the heart apparently all of them were clueless, but at the time she had wanted to believe that she could be the voice of reason. She had been wrong.

May's burgundy hair shined under the sun rays filtering through the round window. The sunny day contrasted with her mood, she hated flying but at least this was a good reason. Alec. He was alive and only that notion was enough to get her on a plane. Alec.

Alec will find Nicole.

* * *

In the secluded house in the outskirts of the city two men sit in front of a set of screens watching the surveillance videos of an event. Looking closely at the video footage it shows the reception of the charity event held at Georgia's Embassy.

Two man wearing dark suits entered the room, the younger of them got a look at the screen, his face contorted in an annoyed look.

"Freeze it." The footage pauses on a shot of Alec's face as Evgraf Sokolov took him into the studio.

"What is it Agent White?"

Thomas Hathaway look curiously at the frozen shot on the screen, he blinked surprised when he recognized the man. It had been years, at least five since he saw that guy. He smiled self assured, it seemed like the rumors were nothing more than that. He had thought that Jason was dead or at least missing.

"Sir, that's 494, an X5 that's supposed to be dead." Ames White was ready to kill someone, that man should have been already dead. Someone was going to lose his job after this.

The Deputy Director only snorted in response before replying.

"Agent White, take him out of your list of subjects to detain or eliminated immediately."

"But Sir, he's one of the X5 from Manticore."

"Agent White, mark my words that man is not 494, that guy belongs to a crowd way more important than Manticore, and trust me you don't want to make them angry by targeting a member of the family. Forget you ever saw him man and erase all the files we have on him."

Hathaway learned years ago that messing up with the people from Prometheus was equal to ask for death sentence. Even after the tragic events of 2018, they still had a firm grip on the higher circles. Prometheus might have started as a project but usually had been considered as an agency, and that had been the reason why he briefly met the man he had come to known as Jason.

Evgraf Sokolov had been talking about someone else the night at the hospital. Now, an excellent question was how a Prometheus child materialized at the right place and time after being astray for almost two years.

Thomas wondered if Tyler was still around the town and if he would be able to get something from the MI-5 agent who apparently was well aware of the other man's exploits.

White looked unconvinced but refrained to argue with his Director. That was a piece of information that he didn't know about 494. Suddenly the reckless X5 became an interesting subject of investigation.

* * *

The voice of Rosemary Clooney drifted on the room as the lyrics of '_I'll Take Manhattan' _took him for a trip in the past, to the good times when Endzela was still with him and they danced only illuminated by the light of the fireplace.

A chuckle resounded on the room and Evgraf Sokolov looked on the direction of the sound, his lips curved into a smile.

"I supposed you will eventually come back."

The man standing on the doorstep of the studio came into the light; Alec smiled at affection on the older man voice. "Well, I did promise to visit, didn't I?"

"You did Nikolai, you did. Scotch?" Asked Sokolov as he left the sofa and walked slowly to the bar.

Alec nodded as he picked up the ivory piece representing the king; it was time to finish the game.

_To be continued…_


	9. Fates Written In Red Tint

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **I think that in order to avoid future confusions I need to explain a little bit the timeline of the story. We started on Chapter 01 during the night of Tuesday, chapters 02, 03 and part of 04 occurred during the same day. Wednesday arrived by the middle of chapter 04, and lasted during chapters 05 and 06. Then, chapter 07 started with a brand new Thursday. Resuming the facts, four day had passed since Biggs injected Alec on the bar.

Onto another note, a huge thanks to Kita for all the help and advices, I really appreciate them. To Jenna I really hope you enjoyed your holydays. And a special thanks to CherryTootsiePop who was the only reviewer of Chapter 07, it's always nice when people took time to leave a review :) .

With all that said, enjoy chapter 08 and let me know what you think so far..

* * *

_**Chapter 08  
**__**Fates Written In Red Tint**_

_Friday 04:30 am_

_She could felt the trepidation as she kept running through the forest. The dry leaves on the ground echoed her steps, reminding her that she was going back to the same place she escaped from only six hours ago._

_She needs to make it, there's no room for mistakes this time. No matter what, she can't let him die. Not because of her… not after all the things they had overcome._

_It felt unfair to be so close of getting back her life only to have it taken away. She refused to believe this could be the end; she simply did not accept it. _

_She arrived at the top of the hill outside Manticore just in time to see pieces of burning bricks flying all around. Under the pale moon the air felt warm when it gently brushed her face, there was a flick of satisfaction on her eyes as she looked at the place she considered hell burn like hell itself._

_The flames surrounded the concrete buildings, burning everything in its wake, cleaning the place and erasing the bad memories. The desperate screams pierced the silent night and made her realize the situation and its consequences. The fire had taken the barracks buildings, red and orange flames had advanced on the structures and she was able to hear the terrified cries of those who were trapped inside as they desperately banged the locked doors._

_It was in that moment when she became aware of the implications of the fire. Desperation got a hold on her, as she run inside of what was left of the compound attempting to disengage the lock system of the cells. It was all in vain, the fire had damaged the computers and it was impossible to open the doors. The older woman had kept her word; Manticore was being cauterized with their population secured inside the __building._

_The screams sounded louder, beings suffering a great deal of pain, hopeless, desolated. The smell… the stench of burned skin, the pure essence of death. _

Max woke up startled; it had been a dream, just a nightmare. Only that it wasn't, everything had happened not so long ago, and even now when she closed her eyes she could remembered that night. She could smell it; she could hear the pained howls of those who were burned alive.

Tears streaked down her face as she fought the desire to whimper, she bite down on her lower lip trying to stop them from falling. She knows it's useless… it doesn't matter how many tears she shed, it will never be enough to bring back to life all the transgenics who died that day.

People made mistakes all the time, its part of the human condition. Some are small, so small that is not even possible to recognize them as mistakes. Others are important enough that time is needed in order to heal the wounds they provoked.

Still, there is another kind of mistakes, those which can't be forgiven, no matter what penance is done. Missteps that follows you around during all your life, watching you from the shadows, reminding you that you screwed once and it will only be a matter of time before you'll do it again…before you hurt or even worst… kill someone again.

Whether you like it or not, it is bound to happen.

'_You are poison. You destroy everyone that you love…' _Renfro's voice repeats itself on her head over and over again.

Zack, Ben, Tinga, Logan… did she really manage to save Logan that day? He was alive but unreachable, so close and yet so far, it seemed to be the story of her life.

Every time she got closer to someone they inevitable ended up hurt. Maybe it was true and she was poison…

After all, she found Ben only to discover that the sweet boy she used to know had somehow turned into a serial killer. In the end she killed him. It really didn't matter if it had been an act of mercy because he asked her to do it, the thing was that she took his life as simply as that.

"_Where no one ever gets punished" The smile on his face made her feel tempted to believe that he was not the same guy who killed all those people._

"_And no one gets yelled at." She replied holding him, wishing for an instant they had never left Manticore, and he would have never turn into this person._

_His eyes got lost in the space as he went back to the years when all of them were only kids…"And nobody disappears. And when you wake up in the morning, you can stay in bed as long as…" _

_The words died on his lips as she snapped his neck. Ben was gone. _

Tinga, the only one who had what none of them could but still wanted. Tinga had managed to create a family of her own, she found a great guy and married him and then she got her baby boy. Her big sister had got her fairytale only to watch it turn into a tragedy when the princess died by the hand of the evil queen.

From the moment Zack found her things went down the hill for him. Even then, he kept coming back trying to convince her to leave with him and she always said no. He sacrificed himself over and over again to keep them safe, to keep her alive. She was alive because of him; it was his heart the one beating on her chest, the one keeping her alive and as thanks she had send him away in an attempt to keep safe the other man in her life.

Sometimes she wondered if things would have turned differently if she had left the city years ago. Would she have been responsible of Ben's death? Would Tinga have died the same way? Would they have attempted to take down Manticore?

Maybe now less people will be hurt if she would have left earlier, now it was too late and she would never know for sure.

She used to blame Manticore for everything that didn't work on her life, if people tracked her down it was Manticore's fault, if she ended up with a worthless guy as a result of a heat episode it was Manticore's mess. It had only been part of her logic that after burning Manticore down the only thing left for her was to place the blame on it all over again. It wasn't her fault that Manticore became Dante's inferno portray that night, therefore she reacted like she didn't care about it.

But lately she wasn't sure if Manticore was the only one to blame. She had been a key element in the chain events that happened that day, in fact she had acted like the trigger of it.

Sitting on her bed at night, comforted only by the shadows Max is able to face the events. It's the only moment when she let her tears fall down without stopping them, without pretending to be strong and tough, without pretending that she didn't care. Because every time she closed her eyes the screams reminded her that whether she like it or not she was part of it, and there's nothing she can do to change it.

* * *

_Friday 05:30 am_

He had been sitting on his couch exactly on the same spot for the last 3 hours. He had watched without real interest as the lights from the street were slowly replaced by the faint light of the sun. It didn't matter if it was a gray and cloudy day the sun never fails to make its entrance; it's one of the constants of life.

Last night he ended up on Sokolov's door, well to be precisely he ended up in his study. Evgraf was the kind of man that could entertain you with his stories for hours and yesterday had not been an exception to the rule. The older man successfully made him forget for a couple of hours the constant whirlwind in his mind and at the same time without his knowledge Evgraf had become a reassurance presence in his life.

Evgraf Sokolov was a real person, flesh and blood. He was the proof that Alec had not realized he needed at least until last night. Laying on his bed he finally accepted that he could no longer pretend that nothing had changed. He needed answers, and those were not going to be delivered at his door just because life was fair and good.

The idea had been on the back of his mind once the dreams continued. If it would have been a one-time-thing he would have easily forgot about it, but it wasn't the case and he couldn't continue living like this…in a façade, an illusion, something that was not real.

He was different and he wanted to know why. Alec needed to know what happened to the rest. How did he end up in Manticore from all the places?

The glass on his hand caught his attention; it had been a long time since he drank Vodka. The clear and transparent appearance of the drink always reminds him of water and for some weird reason he wasn't feeling comfortable thinking about water.

_He couldn't breathe… his eyes were open but the images around him seemed blurred. He wasn't completely conscious but he realized that right now he was under the water and something was pushing him down, no matter how much he fought back it only seemed to be stronger than him and firmly decided of not letting him go. _

_How did he get into the water, and more important how was he going to get out of it?_

_He was getting anxious; the burning feeling on his lungs was a signal that he was running out of time. His head started to feel light and he knew that he couldn't faint, if he did then he will loose, he will die…and that's something he's not ready to do, not without a fight. _

_He kept struggling even if it was in vain, even if there was no real coordination on his movements. The pressure on his shoulders suddenly stopped, the water surrounding him turned red. The heaviness on his chest brought him back to reality and he swam on crimson waters using the last of his strength with the sole purpose of reaching the surface. _

_Air, he needed air._

_He was so close, almost there… but it felt so far away and he was so tired. His eyes couldn't focus anymore and his arms and legs were not responding to his commands. He had been so close and yet so far. His mind was shooting down and the self preservation instinct took place, 'if you're unconscious the pain is less intense'. _

_Someone grabbed his shoulder and was bringing him up, away from the water. The next thing he knew was the feeling of someone breathing on him. Soft, there was something soft over his lips and a firm pressure on his chest. _

_His throat hurt and the salty water on his mouth was the only thing he was able to taste after coughing for five minutes. His eyes were sore and it took him a second to get used to the light, he was quite glad that now he could see images instead of blurry figures. As he looked up he found himself lost on the glassy shine of her sapphire eyes. _

_Had she been crying? The next thing that happened surprised him more than waking up under the water; he felt her arms around his neck. She was hugging him, and even if he was soaked he could definitely feel her tears. What exactly happened while he was out? _

Alec shake the glass in his hand, the transparent liquid swirled inside. Now it was easier to remember things, but the things he wanted the most to remember were the ones he still was unable to recall.

He smiled at the memory; she had been awfully pissed of at the time. The strong taste of vodka made him remember that things had not always been peach and cream between them and that mission had become the milestone of their friendship.

Back at the time they were not exactly friends, being part of the same team even if it was the Elite did not meant that all of them were best pals. His relationship with Nicole until that moment has been strictly one of diplomatic tolerance, she would carry out with his orders because of his rank, but she will always spoke out her mind and if possible would find a way to provoke him. It used to amaze him how she was able to maintain the spoiled brat attitude without any negative consequences or repercussions.

Up until that day, they never had worked alone as a team, and when they were assigned together he had mentally prepared himself for a hard time. Finn was probably the closest to her; even May who was the most serious of them had a soft spot for the brat. But when it came to him it was always like a chemistry experiment, in close proximity they never failed to react and it typically was a negative reaction.

It happened exactly as it was expected, she infuriated him, he reacted and they almost got caught in the fire when their attention diverted from the mission to their argument. Her reaction afterward had surprised him. It was like the event had been a wake up call; she had spent the next hours in complete silence only speaking to answer his questions. Her performance during the rest of the mission had been outstanding as usual, but the lack of comments unnerved him to no end.

Worrying about her proved to be more distracting than arguing with her. He had been careless enough thinking about the possible reasons for her change of behavior that he completely failed to notice the guy that knocked him down. The next thing he remembered was waking up under the water.

His undoing that day had been her tears. Alec had never seen her crying before and that was a lot to say considering that he grew up with her. The terror in her eyes disturbed him; he never wanted to see that expression on her face again. His eyes closed as he remembered that day…

"_I thought, he was…you're alive" Her words got cut by the hiccups as she kept holding onto him. _

"_I'm ok. Everything is all right." He tried to reassure her; instead, the words had the opposite effect and her back tensed. _

"_No it's not Alec. You almost died." Her voice was detached as she moved away from him. Her eyes avoided contact and he recognized the posture, whatever it was that made her lose control it was now being pushed away at an amazing speed. He was not going to let her do it. _

"_But I didn't. You saved me." Blue eyes got caught of guard by the comment and looked straight into his hazel ones. He gasped; he never had been so close to her face, her eyes were of a piercing azure blue that sent goose bumps on his skin. She nodded as a tentative smile found home on her face. _

He opened his eyes half expecting to see her, the little girl with the bluest eyes he ever seen. But there was no one else in the room besides himself, at least not the seven-year-old Nicole of his memories.

They become friends after that day, gone were the constant fights and although she was still a brat he wouldn't have it any other way. Their strong connection was reinforced when three months later the two of them plus Finn and Biggs became members of the D1 and it went a step ahead when he chose her as his SIC.

If he wanted to find the answers he would have to speed up his search. Seattle had never been home and right now his only reason for staying in the city was finding the cure for Max.

He had already decided not leave the city before he returned her that favor. But now the things had changed and he no longer had time to waste, things will have to move quickly from now on.

* * *

_Friday 06:00 am_

It was early and the sky had too many clouds for her likeness, definitely not the wining combo for a first impression. Seattle seemed not to be really interested on getting brownie points from her.

The bright green eyes squinted at a spot on the window as her fingers drummed over her purse following the rhythm of the song she had been muttering for the last ten minutes.

May was feeling restless after spending twelve hours sitting on an airplane, there was too much energy on her body and she was dying to find a release.

As the cab passed by the streets she replayed on her mind all the information that would be needed for the next stage of the deprogramming process. No matter how many scenarios she created on her mind, or how many variables she included on them, there was simply no way to know if it would work. If they would be able to get him back.

May was aware that Alec had interacted with Sokolov only days ago, that single episode had been an unnecessary risk that she would have preferred not to take. By now, she was positive that Alec was at least aware that he had been part of the Elite; otherwise he wouldn't have been able to recognize the older man.

She had spent the last nine months gathering as much information as possible about the procedure; she even managed to get a hold of Fanning's mentor, Dr. Stephen Drake.

The old neurosurgeon had regretted his student's choice of a career. And while Drake had developed the foundations of the procedure that later on Fanning modified, in its origins it had been a project created for the reintegration of violent crimes' victims into the society. The memories they blocked were the ones related with the dramatic events in an attempt of erasing the traumas from the victims. The first results had been promising; however, a year later the project was dropped despite its apparent success only to be recovered by Fanning for Manticore's private use.

"_In order to reverse the procedure the subject would need to be deprived of all the suppressors that are blocking the memories, in this specific case you will need to add another stage, as far as I understand there are also another kind of suppressors on the subject, isn't it Mrs. DuPont?". _

_May nodded unaffected at the question, her cover story had been carefully designed in order to place her as a member of an agency medical staff whom was attempting to reverse the procedure applied by Fanning to a particular subject. _

"_The subject might present an erratic behavior. Anxiety, insecurity and depression are the common symptoms during this stage. The memories would be distorted as well as the perception of reality; attacks of paranoia won't be unusual on the subject". May had listened carefully as Dr. Drake explained the most common scenario. _

"_The original process overlapped the subject's memories through intense psychological manipulation and the use of specific chemicals designed to break down the autonomy of the subject. Therefore, the vivid memories experimented by the subject during this stage will provoke stress and confusion to the point where the line of reality and fantasy could no longer be defined. Psychotic episodes of different intensity may occur during this period". Dr. Stephen Drake paused for an instant and looked at the young woman in front of him before continuing. _

"_If the subject is not part of the average men I strongly recommend you to increase the security measures, a normal individual could become aggressive but one of 'your' test subjects could turn into a time bomb. It's a risky procedure to be applied, best of lucks Mrs. DuPont." _

Luck.

There was no way that she will put her trust on luck. It was as irrational and there was no logic to be followed. It wasn't a matter of luck; it was a matter of control of the situation and possible scenarios. Luck had nothing to do it.

The chemical components on the shot delivered by Biggs were designed to neuter the DNA suppressors on Alec's blood and according to the reports in a relatively short period of time Alec's body had got back to its natural condition. It was expected that the new found abilities will support and trigger new memories and she was positive that it had happened, Alec had recognized Sokolov.

The unexpected bump of the car took her by surprise. Looking at the window she sighed, years of living in the other part of the world made her forget that the country was still trying to recover from the pulse and by the look of it was having a hard time.

Ten minutes later they entered one of the remaining residential neighborhoods of the city, the view changed 180 degrees and it reminded her that as long as you have money things always look good even if you live surrounded by a disaster zone.

The car stopped in front of a classic building and she noticed that it had started raining. Without the little desire to get wet she opened the door and opened her umbrella before getting of the car.

Almost two years of uncertainty were finally coming to an end.

It will be over soon, for better or worse.

* * *

_Friday 06:15 am_

Neil watched at the clouded sky, he could almost smell the rain in the air. It looked like it would be another usual day in Seattle.

May should be arriving soon; he looked around the apartment inspecting if there might be something that he could have missed. The place was located in one of the residential areas of the city; one of the few neighbors that didn't look like a devastated zone. It was exactly the kind of apartment expected for the brand new intern of Seattle's Crawford Clinic, one of the most exclusive health centers of the country.

For May fitting in a role related with physicians was nothing new, even more it wasn't quite a role considering that she did held the degree of MD specialized on Immunology. Although, that was a fact that none of her teachers or the doctors she interacted with ever suspected about. For the world, she was the only daughter of a wealthy business man who had no problem financing his little girl dream of becoming a doctor.

For the Elite her specialization had been more than once the ace on solving a situation avoiding a real confrontation. During a mission there were few things that she was not able to obtain by using her knowledge. And if you were on the enemy side and successfully pissed her off, you get to meet a side of her that was truly unnerving and downright scary.

Neil had made that mistake once and the aftermath left him swearing to all that could be considered divine to never cross May again. Still, there were masochists like Biggs who just love to see May's fury in all its glory. Alec knew that as well as Finn and that was the fundamental reason of why Biggs and May were never paired together for a long term mission. The success rate always ended up compromised if the time frame of two days was surpassed. The bickering pair would usually complete the mission, but the collaterals they left behind were frequently worst than if the mission would have been abandoned on the first place.

CC and Nicole could also fall into the masochist category, the remaining females of the Elite had a knack for winding up May, especially Nicole who considered her personal mission to annoy May by implying the existence of a weird vibe between her and Biggs. Nicole had been barely ten years old at that time, but she had been quite aware of the impact of her comment and chose the precise voice tone that will enrage May the most. The girl's reasons were a mystery most part of the time.

Neil smiled as he recalled the events; the result of her transgression against May resulted on a three hours run around the complex and a sprained ankle when the branch she was standing on broke down.

The youngest member of the Elite was cool, calm and collected most part of the time, her outstanding abilities and performance placed her side by side with Alec, and once they learned to work together they were unstoppable. A perfect balance was achieved and mastered since the D1 assemble was formed.

Neil eyes followed the yellow taxi cab that stopped in front of the building, the first drops of water started to fall down. His view of the scene down on the street was interrupted by a dark blue umbrella that was opened by the person on the back seat.

May had finally arrived; the next phase will start soon.

* * *

_Friday 06:20_

"You could have picked me up at the airport". Neil looked at the door when he heard the comment and was greeted with May emerald eyes giving him a nasty look.

She had picked the lock of her own apartment; and he was tempted to remark the fact to her, apparently the mantra of the day was new home new lock to pick. At the last second he decided that it wasn't of a wise man to piss off a jet lagged female…

"And where would be the fun in that May?"

Green eyes rolled up as she let out a suffered sigh while mumbling. "In keeping all your limbs glued to your body"

Neil smiled at her reply and walked to the sofa where she was lying; he raised her feet from the cushions and sat on the empty space placing the appendages on his lap.

"Smart move boy, what are you going to ask?" she bit down the moan on her throat as he started to massage her right foot.

"Why do you assume I'm going to ask something?" He questioned as his fingers traced circular patterns over her skin.

She sighed loudly in response, "Because it's been like that since we were seven."

He chuckled in response and put more pressure on her skin. "I'm hurt May, deeply madly hmm does it sound like a song to you?"

"It's a song…god you're too good on this." She was completely relaxed; Neil was indeed too good for his own good when it comes to feet massages, so good that it was unfair that he knew those massages were her weakness.

"Biggs was supposed to run direct interaction with Alec at the place he works; I need your support on delegating the task to CC."

May opened her eyes and looked closely at the focused look on Neil's face. "Why? Doesn't it make more sense if you do it?"

Neil sighed and placed his hands over her feet. "I met Max, X5 452, at Sokolov's party, it would only arise unwanted suspicious if I ended up working as a bike messenger at her workplace only two days after the event."

"Ah, I see now. Still your argument is valid, why do you need my help?" May sat on the other end of the sofa and watched him.

"I need for you to suggest it." His tone was calm and neutral but not good enough to convince her.

"Oh my god, you want to avoid CC."

Neil would have never expected it from May, from CC probably but only under specific circumstances, from Nicole perhaps only if it was related to snakes, but never in a million of years he would have expected stoic and centered May to shriek like that at a simple sentence. His eardrums were hurting and there was a buzz inside his head.

"My god woman, I already knew that you have lungs and are able to scream there was no need for a live proof." His complaint was met with her laughter.

"Sorry, but it's just…ok I'm serious now… no it's not true. I need water."

Barefoot May escaped toward the kitchen leaving Neil sitting on the sofa and wondering why he ever thought that it could be a good idea to ask her help.

_Three hours later_

"Don't you have a job? It's about 09:00…" May asked her companion as she started hanging her clothes.

"I don't but Alec does, so yeah I'm leaving your place 'cold hearted woman'" He moved the pillow away from his face and rolled to the end of the bed.

"I said I was sorry and that I would do what you asked, don't be a baby about it."

"You laughed at my face for ten minutes, then you chocked on the water you were drinking and I had to help you, and what did you do after that? Oh yeah you laughed for another five more minutes…you 'Cold Hearted Woman'" His expression was the correct definition of puppy eyes and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'm sorry Neil. I didn't mean it like if it was fun. But you know that CC is probably the clueless person on the face of the earth when it comes to seeing the good guys. The girl is like a magnet for losers. And you being this worry and bothered, it was easier to laugh about it."

"So you are not against it?" He arched an eyebrow and waited for her answer.

"I know for sure that you won't hurt her intentionally, that's probably the biggest wall the rest of the guys had to pass. Besides I think you two might be good together."

Neil noticed that there was something indescribable on her eyes, a shadow as if she regretted something. When it comes to May it was better not push it, she would speak when she was ready. Deciding to focus the conversation back on the topic he replied, "If she does realize about it."

"She will, she's clueless not stupid." May smiled at him, giving him the approval as the big sister.

"I'll be going then, have fun at the Clinic."

He was out of the room before she could reply a word, but that was not something unusual about the three of them. There was a good reason for Nicole, Neil and Mark to be called the children of the winds. When air was your element, you might have the tendency to breeze in and out of people's lives at free will. _"It's simply in your blood, you can fight it but you'll never win."_ Artemis' words reminded her.

Fire, Air, Water and Earth were the four elements that ruled inside the Elite, each generation of Elites had a regent element among them, and each member had a certain degree of control over their element. The control over the reigning element always falls upon only one member, the most powerful among the Elites.

Three remaining elements for nine remaining members.

Three members hold the power of an element, and among them one concentrates the major part of it while the other two had a proportional distribution of it.

Carefully selected by their natural inclination toward a specific element, the real training of the Elite started at the age of seven. Months had to pass before the first advances were visible; the months were followed then by years as each of them learned to control their element. Even if the Committee had not used Project Prometheus to obtain their goals, the members of the Elite would always be different from the rest of the people, it was in their blood and it was theirs destiny.

The D1 was nothing more than the reflection of the perfect balance achieved inside of the Elite. Fire, Air, Water and Earth were represented by each member. It had been like that since the beginning, and even if a disruption occurred, the balance was restored with the remaining three elements.

Until now.

The Reign of Fire had been interrupted and the balance had been corrupted. Not one but two elements were missing and the Elite and the Committee were running out of time trying to control the possible consequences. The D1 current formation had Water and Earth as the solely components, an imperfect balance that would not last for long.

Your mind can forget things and events, but your body had its own memory. And that was the reason of May's headache at the moment.

To realize that you had enhanced senses when you were already an enhanced human being was easier to accept than finding out by accident that you were able to do things you have only seen on movies.

As children they spent years learning to control and increase their special abilities, still like it happened with so many things in life emotions could alter this control.

If what Dr. Drake said was truth, Alec could be a time bomb in more than one sense.

* * *

_Friday 08:30_

_The bodies moved with a feline grace… kick, block, hold, turn, twist, hold, and it started all over again. Precision was the key in this complex dance they seemed to be performing; the hits were delivered with deadly accuracy never making contact with the body of the attacker. _

_The purpose of the exercise was simple, to keep control during a fight. _

_The Committee had been testing them on these kind of physical exercises for weeks until the results were what they expected, perfect control on every movement they performed. During a fight every muscle was flexed or contracted with a clear target on mind, every kick or block followed a strategy designed and applied in a matter of seconds. The non physical-contact – rule was the last addition and demanded additional attention from them in order to control the strength of the hit delivered as well as the conditions of the environment. Early in the morning Finn had accidentally hit May and left her with a black eye after he slip on the wooden floor and lost his concentration along with his balance. _

_The kick was delivered with accurate precision only missing the head by five millimeters; two legs slide on the floor and swept away the right feet of the opponent, a hiss of pain could be heard as the body hit the floor. A hand is offered and taken seconds later as the fallen one rose from the floor. _

_A nod between the fighters indicated the beginning of another round. They walked in opposite directions of the room and stared at each other._

_The grin on his face could only mean problems; the glint of danger is present on his hazel eyes. Her lips curved on a lopsided smile, as they took different positions. _

_His stance had changed and his right hand is resting on his left shoulder. Both of her palms are extended in front of her body acting as a shield as they looked at each other waiting for the other to make the first move. _

Alec's eyes opened suddenly with the crash sound of the glass he had been holding as it hit the floor. A small piece of glass embedded itself in his hand and the blood drops appeared on his pale skin. He watched, mesmerized, as the drops multiplied and a thin river of blood ran onto his palm.

The look of the blood as it slowly covered his hand sickened him and he rushed into the bathroom. Whatever was left of food on his stomach was now on its way to the sewers. The blood on his hand had dried and the bitter taste on his mouth after ten minutes of throwing up was the only reminder of the episode.

He sat on the floor and rested his head against the wall. That had not been a normal reaction, he had seen blood before, lots of it to be precise and he had never reacted like that. Alec raised his hand and inspected it carefully, there was nothing left of the small cut; it was like it had never happened.

He walked back to the lounge of his apartment; the glass was still there…lying intact on the floor.

_**To be continued…**_


	10. If You Play With Fire, You’ll Get Burned

**  
Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.)The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Kita for checking the grammar and to Jenna for pointing out some interesting facts that I had missed. Also thanks to the ones who reviewed the previous chapter, it's always a rewarding experience to read people thoughts about the story.

Now about this chapter, it's still Friday and in order to avoid confusions I've added small fragments of past chapters at the beginning to remind you what had been going on with the story. However if you want to read again the chapters where those come from, feel free to do it ;).

* * *

****

Previously

_  
Embassy of Georgia_

_Max laughed at the tone and offered her hand. "I'm Emily Michaels."_

"_Nice meeting you Emily. I'm Tyler Scott." Neil had been watching Max as she stood closer to the corridor that led to the studio. If things get out of control, he wanted her as clueless as possible about Alec's relation with the whole ordeal. That was the reason why he decided to interfere, and introduce himself with the alias for the night, Tyler Scott at your services._

_**Saint Mathews Hospital  
**__  
Tonight Evgraf Sokolov decided that politics and diplomacy could easily go to hell. "I'm not having a good night so let's make it quick, who are you?" _

"_I'm Thomas Hathaway, NSA Deputy Director of External Affairs."_

_Evgraf looked at the younger man; there was something familiar about him although he was quite sure he had never seen the man in his whole life "You're in the NSA too?" _

"_No Sir. I'm in the MI-5" Neil felt the older man inquisitive gaze fixed on him._

_Sokolov let out a tired sigh. "He left a while ago."_

"_We know Mr. Sokolov; he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place." Neil replied in a flat tone._

_**NSA safe house  
**_  
"_Freeze it." The footage paused on a shot of Alec's face as Evgraf Sokolov took him into the studio._

_Hathaway's attention was successfully caught at White's annoyed tone, "What is it Agent White?" _

"_Sir, that's 494, an X5 that's supposed to be dead." Ames White was ready to kill someone, that man should have been already dead. Someone was going to lose his job after this._

_The Deputy Director only snorted in response before replying._

"_Agent White, take him out of your list of subjects to detain or eliminated immediately." Thomas Hathaway learned years ago that messing up with the people from Prometheus was equal to ask for death sentence. Prometheus might have started as a project but usually had been considered as an agency, and that had been the reason why he briefly met the man he had come to known as Jason. _

_Thomas wondered if Tyler was still around the town and if he would be able to get something from the MI-5 agent who apparently was well aware of the other man's exploits. _

* * *

_**Chapter 09  
**__**If You Play With Fire, Then You'll Get Burned**_

_**Alec's Apartment  
**_

The cold water fell over his back as he rested his forehead against his arms; his body was getting numb after being exposed to the chilly water. He couldn't place the exact moment when it changed from hot to cold, even now he was barely aware of his surroundings. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was losing the grip of things, his life seemed to be slipping between his fingers.

After seeing the glass of vodka untouched on the floor he had what he now recognized as a panic attack. He had never felt something like that before; it was intense and frightening, the feeling of being trapped on his own skin had been one of the most uncomfortable situations he ever experienced.

Alec shuddered remembering the way his heart had increased its rhythm, the dizziness and lightheadedness that caused him to trip and fell on the floor. It had been so difficult to breath; he had felt as if he was drowning all over again. For almost a minute he couldn't see anything, eyes wide open but temporary blind; he couldn't mutter a single word, couldn't call for help. He thought that was it; that he was dying.

It had lasted barely ten minutes but he felt it like if it had been hours. Helpless…that was what he felt. Helpless and out of control; powerless to gain command of his own body, nothing more than a victim of his own mind.

He lost track of the time he had been under the cold spray of water. His frustration was getting the best of him, and he resisted the urge to punch the closest thing in an attempt to release some of his annoyance, instead of that he closed the water tap and grabbed a towel before walking out of the bathroom without even glancing at the mirror.

He got dressed in less than five minutes and walked out of his room and into the lounge were he picked his cell phone and wallet, he avoided looking at the sofa or better at the floor around the sofa, there was no way in hell that he would provoke another episode like that one.

He moved his wrist and caught a look of the hour, 09:30. On the top of everything he was already late for work; if he wouldn't hurry up he was going to be as late as Max and he was not looking for a round of questions from her this morning.

As he held the handler of his door he realized that his hands were still shaking, he hoped that by the time he arrived at Jam Pony things would be back to normal.

* * *

_**Jam Pony  
**_

Neil had arrived at his usual observation spot at 09:15, after following Alec for almost two weeks he was well aware of his CO habits, the guy would probably be inside of the building chatting with his boss. Watching closely for two minutes he sighed frustrated, Alec was not inside of Jam Pony. He should have left May's apartment earlier, he was becoming careless and that was not an available alternative.

He contemplated his options, going to Alec's apartment or staying where he was right now. Jumping from the rooftop to the next building he decided to go for the first option, Alec's place wasn't so far away from Jam Pony and this shortcut might ended up being useful.

He arrived ten minutes later, and thanked the god who was on duty at the time that Alec had never showed a strong inclination for privacy. The man never closed the blinds of his living room, although he rarely opened the curtains of his bedroom but he suspected the reasons for the latter had more to do with the sunlight than with anything else.

Alec crossed the distance from his bedroom door to the living room, retrieving what looked like his cell phone and wallet. When he turned around Neil's eyes widened, Alec looked sick, his skin was extremely pale and there were dark shadows under his eyes. As he walked to the door Neil realized that Alec's hands were shaking. His glare hardened as he retrieved the phone from his pocket.

"Stop it."

May was confused after hearing Neil's greeting, "Stop what, what are you talking about?"

"Whatever it was in the chemical compound, undo it, give him another shot. Do something." Neil voice was anything but composed, his breathing was erratic and his emotions were getting the best of him. He had not at all liked what he saw and he questioned himself for the first time if it had not been selfishness on their part not letting Alec go on with his new life. Did they really have a right to meddle now?

May knew that this moment will come; she had prepared herself during the past months. It was going to be tough, and if she could, she would have spared Neil from that particular experience. But there was not turning back; even if they tried to undo the process, it would kill Alec for sure.

There was no place for emotions, even if they wouldn't have speeded up the process, the chemicals would have eventually run of Alec's body; the difference would have been only the moment, a couple of months, a year at most, but at the end Alec will ended up in the same situation.

"Get a grip of yourself and explain it, you're not making any sense at all." May's voice sounded flat and controlled, she was also following her own command, and she was getting a grip of herself.

A deep breath was heard on the other side…"He's looking pale and stressed, his body shows clear signs of anxiety and his hands are trembling." This time his voice was controlled, May was right there was no turning back, and panicking had been a childish reaction. Emotions, those had always been his weakness and one of the reasons why he was not a part of the current D1 despite his strength and capacities.

A sigh was the prelude to her reply, "It could have been anything from a psychotic episode to a panic attack, there's no way to tell from the current symptoms. We need to watch him closely; do you need me to go over there?" May was already returning on her steps when she heard his answer.

"No, I need that at least one of us keeps the rational thinking. Besides, CeCe is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Both of us should be enough to keep up until tomorrow." He was back in control and he better kept it that way. This was definitively not the place, nor the time to have this kind of episodes; the scold from May stung deeply on his pride but made him react, and for that he was grateful.

"Of course. Call me if there're more symptoms." Or if you need me to go there with you she wanted to add, but she didn't. They needed to be objective and adding sentimental notes was not the way to go. She knew he trusted her judgment about the process as well as she trusted his abilities. Both of them realized that his first reaction had been a fluke, it won't happen again.

Two lines were disconnected without a single farewell, they were on mission mode and there was no place for pleasantries.

* * *

_**Jam Pony  
**_

Reagan Ronald spared a quick glance at his watch, 09:45 and missy miss and golden boy were the only ones missing from work. Max absence didn't shock him at all; the girl had no idea about the concept of punctuality. Alec on the other hand had made a habit of arriving on time, the boy may spend an hour talking to the other guys or even to him, but he was always on time.

The constant motion of people walking in and out of the building relaxed him. Their laughs, whispers and shouts were part of his world during the day. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when Jam Pony Messengers had turned into his life; it was supposed to be a temporal job, something he would do until he could be back on his game, until he could get back his life. Temporal became years and years turned into a decade, now when he looked back he realized that it has been more than twelve years since the first time he walked through that same doors.

This was not the life he could have ever dreamed, for a start it was the complete opposite of the life he had before the pulse.

Reagan had went to one of the best Colleges following the steps of his father and grandfather, had graduated with honors and received the best work proposals, had got a great job and a promising career. The young man who had his future planned out since the moment he was a baby could have never suspected how things were about to turn or ever suspect that in the end he will be found behind a dispatch counter.

He wasn't ashamed of his current life, nor did he consider himself a victim of the events that were set on motion when the pulse hit America. He as well as thousands of people had to adapt themselves to a new life, truth it had not been fair but life could hardly be considered fair.

When the pulse hit the country his family financial stability was severely compromised, all the investments were gone and in the end there was nothing left. His father had been unable to overcome the loss of the life he used to have and died three months later victim of a heart attack. His job had a similar luck, the company where he had been working for the last five years declared bankruptcy and he found himself back on the street, it wasn't long after that when he received the divorce papers from Jenny.

It was then when Reagan Ronald decided that he needed a fresh start, a new place, he was still young, intelligent and with a mind set for the business, he could start all over again somewhere else where there won't be constant reminders of all the things he had lost. And he did it; he packed what was left of his life and left Boston without looking back.

Seattle had not been waiting for him with arms wide open and he was forced to change himself and become a different person, it had been the first of many changes to come.

He stopped existing as Reagan Ronald, the executive with the promising career and former CEO of the Tyler Financial Group and became just Reagan or some other derivation of his name or if he got lucky enough they would settle for his last name and he was simply Ronald.

He did not regret his current life, but sometimes he couldn't help but feel melancholy about his former self, the original Reagan Ronald, the man who almost made his dreams come true. A man whom once upon a time used to have everything, the good job, the pretty and caring wife, the friends and the stable position in life.

It became a cycle for him, once or twice in the year he would get in a fool mood and might be bitter about how his life had turned; sometimes, he would miss the sharp conversations about topics different than the latest gossip of one his employees and the shadow of depression could be seen in his eyes; but usually he was thankful with the things he had achieved, and those were the most part of the days in the year.

He had succeeded on his goal, he re-built himself and by his second year in Seattle he managed to acquire the messenger services company he had been working for, he also got the nickname of "Normal" which in the long term ended up being more used than his real name. The circle was complete new life and also a new name, from then on life had followed its own course and Jam Pony Messenger had become a successful business on its own.

The involuntary gasp from one of the lazy bums he called employee made him raise his head away from the receipts on his hands and the memories that plagued his mind. He cranked his neck enough to be able to check what could have probably happened. Normal found himself fighting down the desire to gasp as well at the sight that welcomed him.

There were good reasons of why he called Alec 'pretty boy' or 'rock start', the chiseled features of the boy's face were closer to perfection, the athletic built complexion, the character and attitude, everything about Alec was attractive and like mops to the flame people had a tendency to gravitate around him.

He simply acknowledged that, even if he did not swing that way. But today, Alec's appearance was closer to resembling a marble statue than his usual happy-go-lucky self.

His skin was so pale that it could have been translucent, his cheekbones were accentuated as well as the defined lines of his jaw; the dark shadows under his eyes gave him a dangerous look as the hazel irises had what could only be described as golden flecks on them, the black attire only heighten and magnified the differences between this new person and the Alec all of them knew.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Alec could feel all the eyes on him as he stepped inside of Jam Pony; he had caught a sight of his own reflection on a cafeteria window about two blocks from there.

He might be looking like hell, and wearing black had not been his brightest idea; but, it didn't deserve the amount of attention he was getting. Although, the good thing was that none of his coworkers had tried to approach him yet; still, he could feel their eyes as they depicted every little part of him. It was nothing more than a meet market; he thought with distaste.

"Morning boss, sorry for the delay I wasn't feeling ok this morning." His voice sounded different even to him, void of emotions. It wasn't like he wanted to share his feelings right now, but he was usually better at masking his real mood.

"Its ok rock star, you can take the day off." Normal was not a man who offered sick leaves or permissions freely, in truth he didn't offered anything at all. Seeing Alec like that was unnerving him, it couldn't be helped; the change was too obvious to be ignored.

"I'm better now, got a package?" And he had succeeded, this time his voice sounded almost as normal, not as cheerful as always but slowly getting there. He might be able to do it.

Normal nodded and accepted that the boy was dealing with his troubles in his own way and he didn't want anyone's help. And for now, he wouldn't pressure him. In a way he learned to respect some of Alec's decisions, a show of respect was to agree with the other person decision without making a fuse and he was willing to do it, at least for now.

"Mercer St. 890"

"Got it." Was Alec's easy reply, he was feeling better and the shakes were gone. He picked the package and placed it on his backpack before retrieving his bike and moving to the exit. And that was the instant when he ran out of luck.

OC gasped audibly at the sight in front of her, the boy definitely looked shaken and in a weird and twisted way the pale skin and dark shadows gave him a whole different attractive. Trust Manticore to make them look pretty even when they were feeling miserable. The deer caught in the headlights expression that Alec sported for a second was enough for Cindy to infer that she was one of the two people he would be avoiding today.

As Alec passed by she caught his forearm, "Are you ok pretty-boy?"

Onyx irises fixed on his face, the question had sounded almost real, like if she really cared about him. Maybe she did, his lips curled into an easy smile as he chuckled at her expression.

"I'm always all-right Cindy", or maybe she didn't, he wasn't going to bet on that. He didn't turn around, just kept going until he got to the street and jumped on his bike.

He was always all-right, even when he wasn't. That was the way life worked.

* * *

_**NSA Seattle's Safe House  
**_

"Sir, we found the address you requested." A young agent on his late twenties informed the Deputy Director of External Affairs, Thomas Hathaway.

A satisfied smile curved Hathaway's lips; that had taken less time than expected, or maybe he gave the MI-5 too much credit on covering better the tracks of its agents. Maybe now he would be able to find out what was 'Jason' doing on Georgia's Embassy two days ago.

He looked expectantly at the younger man that was still standing in front of him, "Well done…give it to me already."

New agents were always a wreck when they had to interact with their superiors; Hathaway supposed that his physical appearance didn't help the matter at all. His 6' 4'' towered over most people plus he was known to have little tolerance, but today he was feeling good and satisfied with the early results.

"Sir, yes sir. Belltown, 1818 East Denny Way." The man stuttered and handed him a card with the printed address.

It was time to pay a visit to Mr. Tyler Scott.

* * *

_**London  
**__**Prometheus Data Center  
**__**Hollister Tower, 24**__**th**__** floor, Office 15 B  
**_

The red light blinked on her screen, one, two, three times. A grin crossed her face as she typed at a fast speed on her keyboard tracking the intrusion on her system.

"Pete, we've got a bug." She told his partner in a sing-song voice.

The young man sitting on the desk closer to her raised his head interested, the screen filled with codes was forgotten for the moment, the green hair strands made him look more like a punk rather than the competent Data Analyst that he was.

"Who's the target?"

"Boreas, but believe me that's not the interesting part. Guess who the bug is" she was practically laughing.

"Blood Skull, March 15th, FP… come on Anna, who is it and don't dare say Duffy the duck'"

The black haired girl snorted in response. "Closer but different pet, its Bugs the bunny."

Honey eyes widened in surprise as Peter laughed out loud. It was probably the handy work of a new agent, who was not aware of the parameters of security that he breached the moment he started his search. Although, it was quite unusual for the NSA to track down Prometheus' agents, it was even stranger that they will specifically focus on an Elite member.

"Are you calling him, or should I do it?" He asked her after a second.

Both of them were assigned to Boreas and Circe, usually a data analyst worked specifically with an Elite member but because Boreas and Circe had a tendency to work together most part of the time he and Ann worked indistinctly with the two Elites.

The equation changed when the Elites were also D1 members, then it was two data analysts for one Elite member, if a mission implied the participation of three D1 members it was common to see the six analysts working together in the same space, even though those were rare occasions the D1's worked mostly on pairs or alone.

"It's ok I'll do it. I need an update on the NSA head honchos currently staying on Seattle." She requested as she connected herself with Boreas. It had been two minutes since the intrusion, the Protocol requested that she informed the agent whose cover was in danger of being compromised during the first 5 minutes, the ideal was always three and today she might get the perfect timing.

The phone rang two times before she could hear the voice on the other side of the line and the standard greeting of her assigned Elite member.

"Hey sis, what's up?"

Neil's voice sounded casual but she could bet that he was running all the possible reasons for her call. She met him once and she was glad for that, it was not abnormal for Data Analyst working with the Elite to never met their assigned partner and kept all the communications through voice calls.

"Condition Gray on your location bro." she told him, the clock on her screen indicated that she deliver the information during the first three minutes.

She tried to decipher what Boreas said, it sounded like a curse but she wasn't sure about it, it had not been English, Spanish, German or Korean and that was all her repertory of languages.

Neil knew that something was wrong when he heard the tune of the call; he had chosen that specific tune for the Office 15 B. Anna or Pete only called him when he specifically requested additional information about something or when they need to warn him. From all the times this was probably the worst, he kept the phone close to his ear as he paid for the coffee and his eyes followed Alec's moves across the street.

He glanced at his watch, 11:08 am; the time he had left will depend on who was following him this time. "Amazing timing. Who's the punk this time?"

There was a yelp of pain and the sound of slap, Neil guessed that Pete's natural lack of coordination succeeded once again on unnerving his colleague.

Anna swore before answering, "Stupid guy, your man is Hathaway, NSA Deputy…"

"Director of International Affairs, yeah I know. Thanks sis, something else?" Neil groaned inwardly, he should have never contacted the man in the first place. But at the time it had been his best option for a clean exit. What was Thomas Hathaway looking for?

Anna's voice got him out of his reverie. "Just that. And Bro… behave."

Neil smiled at the advice, when she met the twenty-six-year-old gal a year ago; she had been clearly surprised to discover that the Elite members were in fact younger than her. Ever since that, she started act as an older sister with him, her standard goodbye line was nothing more than a reference to their inside joke.

"Always."

* * *

She had been listening to incorrect diagnosis after incorrect diagnosis for the last half an hour; it was a miracle that sick people actually got cured in a place like this. Did these people go to the university? Have they ever seen a patient before?

May was well aware of what she was doing; she was pushing back the thought of Alec in pain and suffering alone somewhere in this rundown city, with only Neil looking after him but unable to interact with him. She knew the stages, the symptoms and the dangers; this time information was not power, her knowledge of what was going to happen was stressing her out, her mind was a mess and her concentration was a lost cause.

The ring of her phone gave her the perfect excuse to leave the room and her mind swirled once again with the reasons of Neil's for calling her. Did he have a crisis? Were the symptoms more intense?  
'_Get a grip' _she reminded herself.

"How's everything?" her voice sounded as calmed and controlled as always.

Neil could have elaborated and told her that he was looking better, but right now he was running against the clock. "I've got a Condition Gray."

"Anyone we know about?" She asked as she wrote down on a paper that she had a family emergency and had to leave the clinic; she left the note on the nurse station and walked out of the building.

"NSA" Neil replied and was half expecting the second reprimand from her, after all she had been reading all the reports and the Georgia event had been documented. There was nothing he could argue with if she decided to point out that he created the situation, in a way he had.

"Messy, where is he right now?" she questioned as she took a cab, they were running out of time and she knew that Neil was also moving.

"Pike Place Fish five minutes ago" he replied as he left the bike he had been using in front of convenience store. The garage were he left his car was less than a block away.

"I'm on it." Was her reply before she disconnected the phone call. It had not been a wise idea to wear heals today; she was going to need a change of clothes.

* * *

Alec waited patiently while the receptionist fumbled with a mountain of papers and a phone attached to her ear, she send him a suffered smile as he nodded and walked to the large window panels, it seemed that this delivery will take longer than what he expected.

The view from the 40th floor was impressive, he guessed that it was probably better when the city did not resemble a war zone; despite the current conditions it was nice view. Down on the street he watched as a man walked out of the building across the sidewalk, his sight got suddenly blurry and he raised his hand to rub his eyes.

_A man on his early thirties walked casually out of the building, the tailored dark blue business suit and leather briefcase implied his economic position, the two men dressed all in black who were walking only a meter away from him suggested that it was for better not to mess with the man in question. _

_40__th__ floors above a sixteen-year-old boy watched the scene unfold without a real interest; laying on the rooftop floor and completely hide from the view of the people his attention was mainly focused on playing idly with a small metallic device. _

"_Blue Status, target is on mark. Clear to proceed." _

_The female voice that came from the device successfully stopped his game as he concentrated his attention back on the three men on the street. Setting the earplug back on its place he adjusted his position and fired six shots, two of the bullets were straight shots to the heart that killed instantly the bodyguards, three of the bullets were for distraction and only grazed the suited man, and the last bullet hit the light pole and ricocheted injuring his upper leg and barely missing the femoral artery. His voice sounded calm as he spoke to the person on the other side of the comm. unit._

"_Positive visual confirmation, two hostiles down. The target is clear to pick, go." _

_He rose from his position and in the process picked the JG BAR 10 from the floor and disarmed it before placing it on a school backpack; he studied carefully the space around him making sure that there was no trace of his presence. He sighed when he noticed a lonely sand blond hair stick on a crack between the old paint and the bricks of the lower part of the wall; turning around he walked to the stairs' door and without looking back he moved his right arm in a fast motion with his palm facing the rooftop. _

_Red glowing flames covered the floor and adjacent wall, not high enough to call the attention but effectively burning to ashes the hair and any other possible evidence he might had left behind. He didn't need to watch the fire in order to acknowledge its presence; it was part of him an extension of his being._

_Five minutes later he could hear the ambulance and police sirens on the street as he jumped into the balcony of the adjoining building and started to go down through the emergency stairs. If he concentrated enough he could even heard the panicked screams of the people._

_His part was done, now they only need to pick the package and it will be over._

_She was finishing paying for a latte on the coffee shop at the same time the first man fell dead on the floor, 2 seconds later his partner also laid on the sidewalk covering it with his blood. The man carrying the briefcase looked as white as chalk, and it took him a few seconds to react and tried to run. He was stopped on his track as three successive bullets grazed his body. Waiting for the final shot he didn't expect to hear the sound of the bullet hitting the light pole and was even more surprised when a burning pain on his leg made him fell down as he let out a scream._

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_The voice on her ear confirmed what she already knew. _

"_Positive visual confirmation, two hostiles down. The target is clear to pick, go." _

_The teenage girl joined the commotion as she also screamed in panic, but instead of running from the scene she ran to the fallen men, crying for help and pleading that someone calls an ambulance. She went straight to the man holding his leg and moaning in pain. _

"_You'll be fine, just hold on. Help is on the way" The man looked at the girl and saw the concern clearly written on her face, he felt relieved. _

_The pain in his upper leg was killing him but he was alive, the people who tried to kill him did not succeed this time and he will make sure they'll pay for this. His gaze focused once again on the girl holding his hand, when her eyes looked at him his blood run cold._

"_Game over." She whispered on his ear and he could have sworn he felt the satisfied smile on her voice. _

_As his mind tried to grasp the current events the ambulance arrived and he was placed on a stretcher while the doctors stabilized him, for a moment he believed that he had imagined her words and the coldness of her eyes, he almost bled to death and hallucinations wouldn't be that strange._

_As the door of the ambulance was closed and the vehicle started to move he started feeling the painkillers effect, in a haze he watched as the paramedic pulled a cell phone from his pocket, the man next words panicked him._

"_Clean pick confirmed sir, we're done." _

"Well now I'm all done honey, what did you bring me?" The voice had caught him by surprise and he had to blink a couple of times in order to confirm his current location. The middle aged woman standing in front of him smiled and touched his arm in a comforting gesture leading him to her desk.

"I'm sorry for making you wait this longer." He nodded and attempted to smile at her, as he opened his backpack to retrieve the package he noticed the tremors were back.

"It's ok; work is chaotic most part of the time." He commented and gave her the envelope and the sheet for her signature.

"It's a hostile environment." She commented and he flinched at her choice of words.

"Well that's all. Have a good day ma'am'." He retrieved the sheet and hastily put it in his pocket. He needed to get out of there; his heart was beating faster and his blood felt like it was burning.

"You too honey."

Alec waited for the elevator for a whole minute before going for the stairs, he needed air. Instead of going down he went up, the rooftop was in the open and at least he would be able to breathe fresh air.

* * *

May felt the hairs in the back of her neck rose, something was going to happen and it would be soon. She watched around herself, across the street a bike was chained to the light pole, a faded logo on the maneuver…was that a J?

Alec, the stress and anxiety she was feeling could only possible came from him. May's appointed name in the Elite was Circe, and like the goddess whose name she shared she had always been inclined towards chemistry or potions as Finn liked to call them. May had always been extremely sensitive and accurate when it came to predict situations in the near future.

Agony, someone was suffering.

She looked at the building and for a second she could have sworn that she saw Alec standing on the rooftop. She walked casually inside the building, finding the stairs she slipped through the doors and run up to the top floor. She only hoped that she would arrive on time.

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

Alec felt like if something was ripping him from the inside, it hurt a lot and it felt like he was being burned alive. His throat was dry and his sight was blurry, his heart felt like if it was about to explode. He was not even sure if he was conscious or if it was part of another dream. He wished that it was the latter, then at some point he would wake up and all of these would be part of a memory.

The tremors had evolved into full convulsions, he felt as his muscles contracted against his own will. Violent spasms cursed his body; it felt like his nerves were on the outside and every movement of his body against the cement hurt as if his skin was being pealed off.

He let out a cry of pain, it was unbearable and he only wanted for it to end.

His face was pressed on the floor, as well as his palms. The heat kept rising; breathing was harder with every passing second.

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

May opened the door with such violence that two of the hinges were tore away from the wall. The scene in front of her looked as if it had been extracted from her worst nightmare. The smell of burned clothes sickened her and the concrete floor with that suspicious pink hue worried her.

Her gaze found Alec lying on the middle of the rooftop; the convulsions cursing his body were strong and continuous. He was barely conscious and she wasn't able to see his face from her position by the door.

May took a thin cylinder from her pocket and run toward him, she kneeled on the floor and moved his head over her leg in order to get a better access to his neck as she injected him straight on the jugular. His clothes were singed and his body was burning in fever, but the rest of him was intact.

The deep pain on her knees and legs reminded her that it wouldn't be the same for her. She was currently kneeling on an over-heated concrete floor; and she knew that she would end up with second-degree burns after this episode.

Her tears started to fall without her consent as she moved Alec's upper body onto hers, she would have tried to move both of them but there was no way to tell if it was safe for him to be moved in haste. May hated to see him in such a vulnerable position, this shouldn't be happening…not to him. He needed to rest, and the tranquilizer she had injected him with was going to allow him to do that. The tears kept falling down, hurting him was the last thing she would have ever wanted, and if there could have been another solution she would have never approved this one.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Sir."

The pain on her legs had passed and now she was feeling numb. At least he looked better now; Alec never got burn by fire, at least not in the outside. The former commander of the Elite was able to produce higher levels of energy which combined with molecules of hydrogen and oxygen from the air allowed him to manipulate fire at will.

In a battle, Alec's power made him a formidable enemy. His control over energy and fire had surpassed all the expectations and previous achievements of the Elites before him who shared the same element. From a single spark to an inferno extracted from Dante's book, energy flowed naturally through him; it was nothing more than an extension of his being.

However, if all that energy built up inside of him became unstable and he was unable to release it somehow, it provoked his body to go into an overdrive; his blood could practically boil and if the situation was prolonged his internal organs could easily melt. He could die as a victim of the same energy he controlled, although on the outside not even a single hair will be singed.

May couldn't stop herself as she let her fingers run over his hair; she had seen that soothing action being used when trying to calm down a patient, at the moment she wasn't sure if she was trying to calm him or herself. Taking a deep breath she retrieved her cell phone and pressed dial 4 waiting for the other person to answer, skipping the greeting she went straight to the point when she heard the voice on the other end.

"Contingency C. I need help with the extraction."

Her voice sounded tired and she hated that, she was always in control of her emotions, always. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched Alec's chest rose up and down.

"May, are you ok?"

Neil's voice sounded worried and she wondered how his own contingency work ended up? She got the nasty feeling that moving from her current position was going to hurt like hell, they were going to need some additional things.

"That's not relevant. HBB building on Sector 5, rooftop. Bring a change of clothes for him, pants for me and bandages. And don't forget the alcohol." May had sounded as professional as always, her tears had also been a fluke; they could not allow themselves more of these weaknesses.

It was going to get worst before it gets better, and they needed to stay focused. She dried her eyes with the back of her hand as her gaze wandered around the place for the first time.

Neil's voice floated on her ear as she finally heard his reply…"I'm on my way."

"I know." She softly replied, not sure if he had heard her or not. It didn't care that much anyway, he knew that she trusted him; there was no reason to repeat it all the time.

Walking out of his apartment, cell phone still in his hand Neil wondered how bad this could possible get. It had already made a crack on May's usual cold demeanor.

_To be continued_

* * *

_Condition Gray : Status of a mission where the agent's cover is in danger to be blown._

_Contingency C : Mission protocol which allows an agent to request help and retrieval from another agent due injuries or wounds inflicted during the mission_


	11. Broken Soldiers

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Kita for the grammar check and to Jenna whose comments and observations made the final version more interesting. Thanks to all of you who left a review, guys you're great. To those of you who didn't now is a good opportunity ;)

This is kind of a transition chapter before CeCe arrives and it basically depicts the events before and after the rooftop incident. The major part of it is told by Neil's point of view and I don't speak or write Japanese therefore if there's some mistake on the words I used I apologize in advance.

* * *

_**Previously**_

_Alec felt like if something was ripping him from the inside, it hurt a lot and it felt like he was being burned alive. His throat was dry and his sight was blurry, his heart felt like if it was about to explode. He was not even sure if he was conscious or if it was part of another dream. He wished that it was the latter, then at some point he would wake up and all of these would be part of a memory. _

_The tears kept falling down, hurting him was the last thing she would have ever wanted, and if there could have been another solution she would have never approved this one._

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Sir." _

* * *

_**Chapter 10  
**__**Broken Soldiers**_

The sun was still high in the sky, or at least he guessed that much by the shadows. Too lazy to check his watch he calculated that it was probably around 13.30 pm. His gray eyes were fixed on the rooftop in front of him, watching and expecting to see the first move of the prone body lying there. His hand unconsciously brushed over the mahogany strands attached to the head currently resting on his leg.

Things had definitely gone straight to hell since the moment he received Anna's call. Sometimes, there were no big differences between them and the rest of the world. Being enhanced had not changed the fact that they were humans, they laugh, fight, cry and suffer the same way average people did; and even after years of training and learning self control at some point they could also crack, just the same way average people did.

So in truth, they were not so different after all.

That piece of knowledge had came with a price, Neil was not quite sure that May was going to accept it as a knowledge to be preserved. She would probably regard it as a weakness, the same way she did with all the things that made her act as the concerned girl she was deep down the cold hearted bitch mask she loved to use. In a way all of them wore a mask, they learned that the perfect mask could get you through the worst hell and while it won't kept you completely unscathed… it could definitely reduce the damage, and that was something worth it.

Every now and then things could get pretty bad and your mask would start to have its first cracks, but you would come back with a renowned strength and an even stronger mask. Although, sometimes there's no way to avoid the pain and no matter how good is your cover, you would shatter in million of pieces before you would be able to stand again. This time, it has been May's turn.

From all the days, Hathaway had to choose today; from all the hours, he had to pick the same hours when his CO almost killed himself. They were not so different than the rest of the world, if life could still screw them over. So, at the end he had learned something else today, the timing of the NSA definitely sucked.

* * *

_**Friday 11:30 am**_

After he hung up with May he had called back Anna. The main reason why Prometheus had assigned a data analyst for every Elite member could be explained by their constant need of up to date information, after all 'the more you know about your enemies, the easiest it becomes to defeat them'.

The Elite never left a trail that could be used to get them; their missions became part of the surroundings blending perfectly. No blood baths or hero broadcasted situations that could point to them. An Elite's mission was silent, efficiently and delivered with precision; which was the reason why Hathaway's sudden interest on him was bothering Neil.

He replayed every word exchanged that night, both at the embassy and at the hospital and there had been no signals for him to suspect that Hathaway would try contact him later. If he was going to be honest, the event at the Embassy was probably the most messed up situation that could ever be linked to an 'Elite', there were too many loose ends that needed to be cleaned up.

Leaving a witness of the opposite team was not a wise decision unless you were delivering a message; but if Alec was not himself yet, who he was trying to send the message to?

It might sounded harsh but during a mission whether you save everybody or kill everybody; the bad guys were not going to convert and regret all the damage they did; and the good guys were better kept alive, good people in this world was always needed.

Something had triggered Hathaway's attention and he needed to know exactly what was the other man looking for, he only waited for the first ring before the line got connected.

"I need a Divergence Analysis on Hathaway career, look for mission or assignments where he could have crossed paths with us." He didn't take the trouble with a greeting; after all besides himself and the D1 members no one else knew that specific phone number.

"Hold on for a sec, or maybe two. And… Bingo." Anna's voice sounded quite proud with her discovery and he waited for her to continue. "Hathaway was one of the two CIA agents that participated on the Martell Agenda; Prometheus assigned an "Elite" and two members of the SO, I don't have the names. The mission was short lived, barely three days." She told him in a professional tone.

"It's ok, I know who they were. Thanks sis." Neil's lips twitched in a dangerous smirk, as he flipped closed the phone. Now he knew what all of this was about.

He was one block away from his apartment when he watched the first SUV pass across the street and exactly two cars behind the second one followed the same route. In a city where the Pulse effect was obviously tangible how could special agents expected to blend in the surroundings driving large and expensive vehicles like those ones. Even if it was a residential zone, a SUV was quite noticeable. _'Amateurs' _

Neil kept walking, if his calculations were correct it would take Hathaway's party around five minutes to get out from the vehicles, threat the landlord, take the elevator and knock down his door.

Five minutes was plenty of time for him. He used the emergency stairs at the back of his building to get to the 7th floor where his apartment was. Hearing the commotion by the end of the hall, Neil sat quietly on the cornice of his bedroom outside wall. It was a good place to hear them without being noticed. The crash sound at his hall let him knew that his door was probably broken; it was a pity that door had looked like it was made from real wood.

He resisted the urge to sigh; it was more fun when there were two of them to play the dangerous and psychotic agents than when he had to perform his own version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide. This could have been avoided if Hathaway would have kept his curiosity to himself, instead he had decided to come looking for him and Neil was never one to disappoint the public. The entire world was a stage and he was about to perform one of his favorite characters.

"Clear Sir" A rough male voice shouted.

"This room is also clear" Agent number two confirmed.

"There's a message on his answering machine" And that had been Thomas Hathaway amused voice as he pressed the bottom of the device. _"Mr. Tyler, this is Jack from ItalClean your clothes will be ready by 18:00, please let us know if you will come by or if you preferred that we send them to you". _

"His computer is locked; I'm working on the passwords." Neil heard the third agent voice as he moved his head to look at his watch 11:45, he wanted them out as quickly as possible.

"The place is clean, sir. And his closet is better organized than mine, what kind of man is so freaking organized?" Another one? This was getting ridiculous, four agents without counting Hathaway to take him out was a little exaggerated; although, considering the stunt he was about to pull, the more the merrier. Neil stood up on the cornice and jumped inside the bedroom where the female agent was still gazing at his clothes.

She raised her gun and pointed it at his heart; he chuckled and raised his hands in a surrender gesture. "Hiya stranger, any particular reason why you found my closet so bloody amazing? I can assure I look better out of the clothes." The words left his mouth as he watched satisfied as the female agent with the gun blushed slightly.

"Sir, I think I found him." She shouted, keeping her eyes on the guy all the time. He was extremely attractive; the combination of his gray eyes with the light brown hair and the athletic body was distracting her. The accent was driving her nuts.

Neil kept his hands up and watched her intently; her training will keep her looking at him, it would be stupid to turn around. However, how long would she endure his gaze lingering over her? That would have been an interesting game if he would have been in the mood of playing games. He smirked as a strong blast of window knocked down the paint behind her, it was a natural reaction and for a couple of seconds her eyes glanced at her back. Too bad for her, a second was the only thing he needed to revert their positions.

He jumped and kicked the gun from her hand, taking her down with the impact. He pushed his knee on her back and he secured her arms with one of his ties. If you knew what you were doing you could be able to kill a person with a sock. It might not be a glamorous way to kill someone, but dead people weren't supposed to be picky.

It hadn't been more than two minutes before the rest of the agents Hathaway included entered the bedroom and found agent Geller on the floor and Tyler Scoot sitting cross legged on his bed pointing the gun towards the tied up agent.

Thomas Hathaway looked at the young MI-5 agent; the gray eyes looked calmly back at him. There was no hesitation on that gaze, if he had to shoot the girl he would do it without blinking on the process.

"You know Mr. Hathaway I really do not enjoy when people broke into my place uninvited." The British accent was barely noticeable and Geller sighed at her own stupidity, did she really expect that it would be easy to get an MI-5 agent on her own.

"Mr. Scott is good to see you." The older man nodded in his direction, while looking at the gun all the time.

Neil raised an eyebrow at the salute and replied serenely, "Really? Even when I'm pointing a gun at one of your agents and I couldn't care less if I shoot her dead?"

Hathaway smiled at the words and considered that the young agent was only bragging. "But you wouldn't do that, would you?"

Neil snorted in response, "You broke in, and it would be self defense. Besides it seems that you're forgetting that I had immunity."

Thomas Hathaway's gaze hardened, "You won't kill her, or any of us."

Neil smiled at the older man and pointed the gun at him. "True, I won't kill her. It will mess up the carpet and I heard blood spots are hard to get out. The rest of you are standing on clear spots, no carpet at all. No dry cleaning bill to worry about."

"Cut the crap Scoot, if you would have wanted to kill us you would have done it already." The frustration was evident on the older man's voice and Neil laughed, he knew Hathaway was loosing his temper at an amazing speed. Nicole and Finn were right; teasing the target until he's no longer capable of recognizing your true intentions was certainly interesting.

"Do you have any idea of the mess you just created? Tsk tsk Thomas, don't you know that curiosity killed the cat? But really… tracking me down was priceless. Did you really expect this would be a surprise?" Neil asked in a detached tone of voice, his eyes scanned quickly the other three agents' movements and found them glued on the spot.

"It was a good shot." Hathaway replied curtly.

Neil's own gaze hardened, "It was stupid, careless and way too obvious."

"So you know what I want to know." The older man asked.

Neil turned on the laser sight of the gun and pointed at Hathaway's heart…"I have a pretty good idea of what you are trying to find out. Although, I'm surprised you thought I would help. I was under the impression that your people understood that collaboration was only for the duration of a mission, after the deal is done you don't ask and I don't tell, then the earth is a happy place"

Hathaway placed his hand over the red dot moving across his heart, and tried again… "I saw a dead man walking around."

"If you don't want to become one, you better let it go." Neil replied and turned of the laser.

"And what if I don't?"

Neil looked at the older man's eyes making sure he understood the message, "Do you really want to know? You're a brave man, brainless but brave. I'm not going to repeat myself Hathaway, it's your call. Although, you should remind that you don't get to mess with the lady… at least not in this lifetime. Keep digging around and getting sacked would be the best thing that could happen to you"

"Sir we can take him is three of us against him." Agent two chose that moment to realize that he had a voice.

The cold look on Neil gray eyes was only intensified when Thomas watched the golden flecks shinning on them.

"We're leaving." It was brief and left no room for argument.

"Smashing." Replied Neil smiling happily.

An angered Hathaway turned around one last time as the first Agent got Agent Geller from the floor. "It's not over Scoot."

"Yeah, Yeah. Don't try to win 'The twit of the year competition' Sir." He added the last part only to annoy the NSA agent further more.

As he heard the steps approaching the hall Neil shouted, "Let's make a deal, I'll send you the gun back after you repair my door. Come on it's a win-win situation!"

A loud grumble was the only reply Neil heard. Looking at his wrist he sighed, it was already 12:00. He better moved.

He had been walking out of his building when his phone rang.

"_Contingency C. I need help with the extraction." _He had never heard her sound so devastated, hopeless and broken. Those were not the kind of things he associated when describing May. The tremble of her voice, the raspy sound of her words, she was crying and for her to be crying it had to be bad. Actually it had to be down right terrible.

On his own shock he made the mistake of asking her if she was ok. It had been childlike of him to expect a real answer, instead he got a complete list that included from clothes to bandages and she also mentioned alcohol. Just in case he had bought a bottle of alcohol and one of Vodka, somehow he guessed that she might need the last item later.

They were going to need CeCe around as soon as possible, as he walked among the people he dialed a well known number and waited. The phone was not disconnected which was a good sign, Finn was not engaged on any mission at the moment.

"_It's strange for you to call. What happened?" The voice on the other end seemed a little distracted and Neil guessed briefly what exactly had Finn been doing in Tokyo at 01:00 in the morning._

"_He's getting out of control and two of us are not enough." He wasn't sure what to expect from the other man, he was still in the dark about the real reasons why Finn had taken Biggs out of the mission, and he wondered if maybe Finn would decide to take him out too. _

"_I see. It's taken care already, I thought you might need her help as soon as possible. She should be arriving in four hours. You were to be informed once her arriving time was confirmed." _

_Finn replied in a calmed tone as his free hand holding the knife dug into the heart of the man who tried to stop him. The man had opened his eyes as the pain pierced his heart but the words died on his lips as the blood loss drove him unconscious. Finn raised a hand in the air and made a signal for Biggs who carried out a girl on his arms of no more than seven years old. _

"_I understand. There's a low risk of exposure, Bugs being asking questions" Neil had noticed that Finn seemed to be spacing out, what was the man doing?. _

"_Then we better send the dogs and check out if the hunter wants to play. And Boreas…" Finn added while he walked out of the house and watched the van where Biggs was already seated holding the kid. _

"_Yes, sir." _

"_It will be ok." Finn cut of the communication as he pressed the small button on the control remote he was holding, the house trembled at his back as the flames covered what was left of the structure. _

_Kyokutei Shinsaku had played an essential role during Alec's and Nicole training and later on their missions inside Japan, when the old man contacted him and requested his help on rescuing his granddaughter, Finn had not hesitated about his decision and organized the off profile mission in a matter of two hours._

_He was used to see the people destroy themselves, but he had no tolerance when they messed up with children. In his book there was no reason to justify hurting a kid in order to hurt an adult and Finn was particularly vicious when proving his point. _

The call left Neil thinking that first the attack and then Alec's and Nicole disappearance obviously put a toll on all of them, especially on Finn's shoulders.

All the responsibilities had fallen on the D1 and with only half of the Committee helping around the Elite had taken more tasks on their hands and redistributed them between the Divisions. If it was hard for him to see Alec like that; he completely understood why Finn had not taken part of the Hades mission. Neil's relation with Alec had been close, like with the rest of the Elite, but the D1 were even closer between each other. The four of them had endured a special training, they experienced extreme situations and the bonds between them were stronger than with the rest of the Elite.

Finn had known from the beginning that he would be anything but objective if he saw his best friend like that; the Elite could not afford to have its leader making decisions based on emotions, it would be a dangerous game that could be lost easily. The reason of Biggs sudden exit of the mission profile became clearer for Neil; Finn reasoning had been as always impeccable.

After the call, it had taken him fifteen minutes to gather all the things he will be needing and another ten until he could arrive at the address May had given him.

The sight that welcomed him was one he hoped to never witness again. Alec expression showed that not even unconscious he seemed to be in peace, the pained gesture he made every time he breathed in, it was killing him. May on the other hand was not looking better; her hair flew around her face like a halo, the dry tears on her face and the desperation on her eyes as she kept brushing his hair made Neil worry about her own mental stability.

He realized after a minute that the place felt warm, there was a faint smell of burned skin and he gasped in surprise when he noticed May's position kneeling on the floor.

Getting Alec in the new clothes was easier than getting the nerves to pulling May into a standing position. She didn't mutter a word, but the hiss that left her lips involuntarily was enough to let him know that it had hurt a lot.

The clothes he got Alec were black as his original attire; there were some slight differences that he hoped Alec would overlook on his state. Cleaning the burns on May's legs shouldn't have been a hard task, first aid and basic medicine were part of his training but the fact that it was the first time he had to use it on someone from his own unit made it harder.

Neil placed Alec lying on the rooftop in the most comfortable position his mind could came up with, he left his backpack by the door and left the same way he arrived. Then he and May ended up in the rooftop of the building across the street.

May passed down half an hour later and was currently sleeping on his right leg. Actually May's additional weight was the reason of the numb feeling on his legs, not that he really cared about it. He knew that she would deny ever crying in front of someone, if he would have to bet she would probably threaten him if he said something about it.

He glanced at the watch on May's wrist, 13:45 pm. The only thing left for them was to wait.

Wait for CeCe to arrive, wait for Alec to remember, wait for things to fall back in place.

* * *

_The sun light illuminated the flowers cascading from the branches, bouquets of blossoms crowded together in a chaotic order as the rays of light brought out the different textures of the soft pale flowers. Despite being a boy Alec could not help but admit that cherry blossoms were one of those things that needed to be experienced, there were no pictures or videos that could ever transmit the ethereal atmosphere of the park when the small and delicates flowers populated the trees, or when those started to fall on the ground resembling spring snow flakes. It was stupid but he got the idea that if there was a heaven it probably looked like this place. _

_From all the missions of the last two years this was definitely the best, Yokohama was a place he would gladly return to, preferably during the same season. It was the perfect time, the interlude before the scorching summer that was around the corner provided the pleasant warm temperature that seemed to maximize the experience. The flowers might be gone completely by the end of the week, but at that precise moment it did not matter at all. _

_The soft voice whispering caught him by surprise, looking at his right he couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of him. Her brown pony tails shined under the sun and her pale skin contrasted with the lively colors of the park, blue eyes were lost on the blue sky above them. _

_It was indeed a rare occasion being able to catch her acting so freely and relaxed. His Second in Command had an outstanding presence that contrasted with her limited stature; no one will ever deny or argue about that, but ever since her return from the mission at Ermoupolis her personality had changed drastically. Gone was the carefree girl who swept into the world without a worry, in her place a detached and controlled version had appeared, it reminded him of the girl she used to be three years ago. _

_Her eyes were colder now; her comments were more sarcastic and only her short temper remained the same, along with her dislike for hot weathers. That was maybe the reason why he was surprised to hear no complains from her as they sat on the outside during what could be considered as a warm day. _

_She was sitting with her back against the tree trunk, right hand raised as if trying to touch the sky, Nicole was without a doubt completely lost on her own world or ignoring him on purpose. He was quite positive that it was the first one._

"_Kageyaku sekai ga kono te ni afure." _

_Alec smirked hearing the words; he knew that despite the appearances Nicole was indeed very focused on the mission at hand. Although, the mesmerized look on her face as she watched intently the light as it fell upon the flowers could be deceiving. For someone who was dubbed the title of "Ice Princess" she surely was a expressing a lot today, even if it wasn't exactly by using words._

_Still, they had a task and he needed all her attention on the mark not on the pretty flowers. Leaning closer he whispered softly on her ear, "Nani?"_

_The male voice made her roll her eyes in annoyance and she spared a side look at his direction, the smirk planted on his face confirmed her suspicious, she had been talking out loud…again. Sensing that he was still waiting for an answer she muttered softly, "Betsuni" _

_Glad to successfully brought her back on track he realized that something was missing, when they arrived to the park there was a soft breeze blowing, ever since they sat under the trees the breeze had stopped. He suspected that the girl sitting next to him had a lot to do with it._

"_You do realize that no matter what you are trying to do the flowers will eventually fall, right?" He had decided that if he was going to annoy her, he preferred English better than Japanese._

_She glared at him looking quite frustrated at the amusement on his voice. "Really boss? I would have never guessed… Off course I'm aware of that." Her tone was icy at the beginning, but then softened "I just like how it looks right now, it's different…I kind of like it. Besides I don't know when we will be back, I just wanted to remember it like this." _

_Sometimes he forgot that despite all the things she had seen and experienced so far, there was still a little girl inside of her, one who had a tendency to appear when he less expected. The azure of her eyes would change and suddenly those big bright orbs will look at him with such innocence that he wouldn't be able to deny her anything. _

_Lately, those occasions became less and less frequent. Maybe she was inevitably growing up and getting more mature or she was learning to deal with the aftermath of her missions on her own, one way or the other he knew that if she needed him she would tell him. The knowledge that she would turn to him was the only thing he could actually predict about her, trying to apply past experience in order to foreseen her actions or reactions had proved to be a useless task, one he ditched two years ago._

"_Positive confirmation of the mark, Alpha Team you can proceed." Both of them resisted the urge to roll their eyes, their play time was over. _

"_Here" her voice was soothing and he couldn't detect a hint of sarcasm, her hand cover his for a second before she stood and walked toward the restaurant in front of the park. When he looked down he found a cherry flower on his hand as he felt the soft breeze started to blow again. _

_A middle aged woman walked out of the restaurant in a huff, her face showed clearly her irritation as she almost run over a couple who was entering the same establishment, the ten-year-old girl standing behind the couple moved just in time and barely touched the woman's arm with her own trying to avoid the collision. _

_He mentally counted the steps of the woman as he watched her expression change with every movement; one, two and three were missing by her annoyance, on step number four she realized that something was wrong as her breathing became faster, fifth step and her sight was blurry, by the sixth she had started to sweat and her muscles contracted as a convulsion threw her on the floor, her eyes scanned her surroundings looking for the responsible. Just as May had said it had taken less than ten steps. _

_The woman held her chest in pain as she could feel the people starting to gather around her. There was a single thought on her mind besides the pain, where was him or her? She had done the same thing, stayed and watched her marks die. Her heart was hurting and she knew that it would be the end, for the last time her eyes wandered to the front, from her position on the floor she saw the coldest eyes she ever seen on the pair of kids who watched her from across the street. It couldn't be them, right? The sharp pain on her heart was unbearable and she finally let go._

_The sand blond haired boy talked to no one on particular, "The target was contained. Endgame status confirmed." His hand removed the small earplug and placed it on his back pocket. The breeze got stronger and a rain of small flowers fell around the two kids walking on the opposite direction of the commotion. _

"_Hey Alec, do you believe in heaven?" Her question made him smile as he remembered that he had thought something similar, yeah he believed that if there was a heaven it should look pretty similar to that park, less the corpses of course. _

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

_**Friday 14:15 pm**_

There was a cool breeze around him, it was somehow comforting…his eyelids opened slowly, the light hit his pupils and he needed to blink a couple of times until his eyes adjusted to the natural light. He felt exhausted, hurt and confused, exactly where was he right now?

The first attempt to move from his original position was quickly turned down, it hurt too much. He decided to give it a try later, when the fog around his brain might dissipate enough to let him figure out how did he get there, and where was 'there'. His face was turned to the right and rested on a limp left arm, all his vision was reduced to the foot between the floor and the door. One thing was for sure, this was not his apartment or any other place he had been before.

Gradually the images started to form on his brain and piece by piece he placed them in the correct order; the memories about drowning, the morning freak out and the trembles, the awkward arrival at Jam Pony, OC's concerned look, the delivery at Mercer St. Then he had made a stop at Pike Place Fish to buy a coffee, his next package was to be delivered on an office at the HBB tower.

He had to wait for a long time until the receptionist got time to sign the receipt; he had been wandering around the office and ended up by the windows panels. He remembered pieces of a mission when he was younger. And then the pain had started, his memories were blurry after that and he guessed that he probably passed out on the rooftop as his last conscious thought had been looking for an open space with fresh air.

Alec knew that he couldn't stay on the floor forever, he just needed to concentrate on the task at hand, and the first step was to change his position.

In his mind this had been less complicated than in the reality, it had taken all of his self control to restrain his voice and stop from screaming at top of his lungs. Right now he was working on getting his breath back to normal; the copper taste on his mouth was making him felt sick. He succeeded but it had hurt like hell.

The situation was getting out of control at an amazing speed, Alec couldn't recall feeling like this before, one thing was to suffer a panic attack where he had been conscious or at least semi-conscious all the time, and another completely different thing was to have a blackout and wake up feeling like someone skinned you alive.

His mind was reaching its limits; he wasn't sure what was real anymore…the soft breeze cooled down his sensitive skin, the memory calmed down his nerves in the same way it soothed his body. He closed his eyes trying to forget the pain he was feeling, trying to relax and made the healing process go faster… he remembered the trees, the flowers, the way the sun light illuminated the park and a soft breeze like the one he was feeling now.

"_Hey Alec, do you believe in heaven?" _

A pained sigh escaped from his throat and he closed his eyes, he wasn't sure anymore… did he still believe in heaven? He wasn't sure about who was he in the first place. However, he had no doubt that he did believe in hell, if hell could be condensed on a feeling then he was in hell. He opened his eyes and watched the sky, there were dark clouds covering the vast space… It would rain soon.

* * *

_**Friday 14:25**_

May had always considered that tears were useless and crying did not help to solve anything. Tears were a sign of weakness and an Elite member had no flaws, therefore crying was something none of them should experience.

The fingers of one hand were more than enough to count the times she had allow herself that weakness, the first time had been when they were told that Finn was in a coma and Nicole was dead. She had cried alone in the rooftop of the Medical Wing where no one could see her, at that time she had refused to believe that something like that could ever happened to them. That someone could ever hurt them.

The next time tears found their way out of her eyes was when they were notified first of the attack on the 5th Division Head Quarters and only hours later that Alec and Nicole had died during a mission, that time she cried for hours until there were no more tears to be shed. She hadn't left her office during a whole day, hadn't spoken to anyone, and hadn't listened to anyone. Every person had its own way to grieve and hers was to be left alone, May didn't believe in talking about it, words were useless and didn't bring back to live the people who died. She preferred the silence, it hurt less.

This time it had been different, she cried and the tears had not seemed to stop anymore. Alec was suffering, in pain and confused, she could feel it. Her tears were for him, for not been able to help him, for being responsible of his agony. The other times she cried the blame was on someone else, someone who had dared to hurt the people she cared for. This time it was her who was doing the harm, it was her who consciously and completely aware of the consequences had taken the decision.

_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Sir…can you ever forgive me? _

She didn't need to look at him, she only had to close her eyes and the image of his face contorted in pain would appear on her mind. Neil had been right; they no longer had a claim on him to mess up with his life like this, they should have let him go.

"Stop questioning yourself; it won't change anything." The coldness on his voice was something she didn't expect. It was usually her place to adopt the cold approach; it was usually him who made her soften her views. That was usually the way they worked together, up until now the formulae never had changed.

"I was thinking that maybe you were right." Her voice sounded hoarse from all the crying, from all the built-up emotions. It was useless and followed no logic, crying did not help Alec but at that moment she had not been able stop, and now her voice was the clear evidence of what had happened.

"Both of us know that's a lie. This would be happening with or without our interference. He's going to make it, he always does." The confidence on his voice sparked a new hope on her eyes.

"If you tell anyone about this…" She started on her usual tone.

"Yeah I know… I know. You will kill me in a very inventive way and none will ever find out. You know, it's not the first time you threaten me." He replied as his arm fell around her shoulder.

She smiled for the first time and didn't brush off his arm. Both of them watched as Alec regained consciousness and moved slowly until he was finally sitting against the wall.

"How long until the painkillers start working?" he asked, the feeling of helplessness coming back stronger. This mission was killing them slowly.

"The analgesics had been working since the last shot, in twenty more minutes he would be able to move normally. The post-effect should be minimal, and the healing speed of his body will do the rest." She replied and her eyes fixed on the body across the street.

Neil watched as Alec opened his lips and then closed his eyes, "Could it happen again?"

"Yes. Right now he's a time bomb, too much power without any kind of control. A bomb ticking and ready to explode." Her nails dug on her palm, she was not going to cry again, no matter how bad it looked, she would not do it. Not again. Better yet, not ever.

Neil watched her fumbling with her hands; it was time to share at least one good new. "Help is on the way."

She looked at him worried, "When is she arriving?"

"Hours from now, I will get the confirmation soon." Any moment now someone from the 4th Division should be calling him.

May sighed as she watched the clouds; apparently Seattle felt the need to welcome every Elite member with rain. "She could get closer and contain it before it begins. By the way how did it go with your issue?"

Neil smirked remembering the face of Thomas Hathaway…"I think he got the message, but if he didn't Finn or Artemis would teach him a lesson."

"They never learn." May replied amused, talking about something else was good. It distracted her at least for a couple of minutes.

Neil rubbed his eyes; it seemed that today was going to be one of those days, "Nope."

"Are you starting to get anxious about her?" May smiled as she watched him frowned.

He couldn't believe that he actually fell on that trap again; he was pondering if he preferred depressed May or annoying May. "Can we talk about something else?"

"I'll take that as a yes." She said in a way too serious voice to be considered serious at all.

"Why there are subjects between us that are taboo for you on which you demand that I do not mention them. But there's no respect about what I want to talk about?" It was useless, starting an argument with May, CeCe or Nicole was a loss battle before it even started, but he was not going to be defeated without fighting for his dignity.

She rested her head on his shoulder, "I look cuter than you in a dress."

Neil chuckled at that comment, "You did not admit that you look cute wearing a dress."

"Why not? All is fair in game and love." She quoted Seth's trademark phrase.

He laughed before replying, "I don't love you."

She hit him in the leg, but the smile was still on her lips…"Thank god for that."

It wasn't like they didn't care about how Alec was doing across the street. They did, and the feeling of being unable to help him was tearing them apart and messing up with their decisions.

May shouldn't have ended up with burns on her legs, she was well aware of Alec's power; she had seen it countless times. She simply panicked; if her reaction would have been different she would have been able to get Alec out of the rooftop when she arrived there. The additional heat Alec's body endured could have been avoided if she would have acted more rationally. And she knew that.

The NSA should have never been contacted on the first place. Alec should have not met Sokolov's under those conditions, it was pushing too much. The fact that agents from the DSCA got involved was an additional burden.

If the meeting would not have been pressed, the NSA intervention would not have been needed. Biggs mistake was to rush up things; Finn knew that and took him off the mission. Neil's mistake was to call the NSA without running a profile on the Director he called, a rocky mistake but still a fault. One that now was proving to be a nuisance. And Neil was well aware of it.

They were making mistakes and overlooking details that were obvious, that should have been spotted at miles under different circumstances, if the mission wouldn't be about him.

Talking about nonsense things while they watched Alec fought to control his breathing was not a cold action, it was an attempt to survive the overpowering feeling of throw things to hell and help him.

_When did they loose control and became a couple of broken soldiers?_

_To be continued…_

* * *

_**AN:**__ This is the closer translation, bear in mind I said closer ;)_

_Kageyaku sekai ga kono te ni afure :The shining world overflows in my hands_

_Nani : What?_

_Betsuni : Nothing_

_**And next on Lost Blue Skies…**_

_The members of the Elite had a unique DNA and completely different human energy fields than the average people. When the time approached and a new "Elite" needed to be conformed the Committee started searching for individuals who had higher energy fields, it was a long and tiring process, one that was skipped when they chose to use Manticore resources. Those whom were chosen had the ability of influencing the environment, whether it was consciously or not, by using their hold on one of the four elements. Physically those people had heightened senses and while they could be injured their recovery was three times faster than in a regular human._

_Every 150 years children with extremely high energy fields were born, every 150 years a new "Elite" was conformed. But like it happened in all the stories, human vindictive nature decided to strike down forcing a series of events that threatened the Elite survival and forced the Committee to choose Manticore as their last resource._

_.-.-.-.-_

"_What are you doing here?" Max eyed him suspiciously_

_Alec snorted in response, why does everything seem to gravitate around her…"Why Max, do you have special rights to hang around the debris of what used to be Manticore?"_

.-.-.-.-

_The wind around the place became warmer and he could feel the same burning sensations went through his veins. _

"_Stop it." Her voice cut the air and his attention was broken as he watched on the pale blue eyes of the girl watching him._

"_You…" he stuttered as he watched her face and the memories passed in front his eyes._

_.-.-.-.-_

"_How come someone this size could be this heavy?" She asked as half of the body rested on her shoulder._

"_If you wouldn't have knocked her cold, maybe it wouldn't be pain in the arse to move an unconscious body through the forest." He snapped._

"_She was irritating" she declared as it could justify her actions._

"_And now she's heavy" he replied in a matter of fact tone._


	12. Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note****: **You are not seeing things I did manage to finally update the story. I know I seem to be unable to update on weekly basis, but I swear do try every time. Thanks to Jenna who has taken the hard work of beta the chapter and the story from now on and thanks a lot to Kita who did it for all the past chapters. A special thanks to all of you who took some time and reviewed last chapter, I sincerely hope that you would also enjoy this one, don't forget to review.

Now, back with the story…

* * *

_**Chapter 11  
**_"_**Ipsa scientia potestas est"**_

_**Florence, Italy  
**__**Friday 20:00 pm**_

Patricia Hollister picked up the tea cup from the silver tray as she gazed distractedly at the carefully designed indoor garden in her office. Black Orchids were considered for centuries to be a myth; multiple stories having been built around the strangest of all the flowers, those black as the darkest night. She became interested in them a long time ago and since then orchids had become her favorites.

She always found it extremely amusing how people chose to place such significance on the meaning of a flower. According to some, certain types of flowers could be used for anything from evil conjuring to healing powers and life restoration. If flowers truly could solve all of societies' problems, she would have chosen gardening as her path in life. Her lips curl in a bittersweet smile at that thought.

Leaving the cup on the desk she walked toward the crystal structure in the corner of the large room. Inside the controlled environment area were her black orchids, and among them the three flowers that ended up having more meaning to her than the rest of her possessions. The paphiopedilum 'Candor Kohl' her husband gave her thirty years ago as an engagement present; the makuli 'Candor Blackheart' a birthday present Alec bestowed on her eight years ago and the youngest of all of them, the black velvet 'Candor Neat' Nicole left in her office two years ago, 3 months 2 weeks and 5 days; the last time she saw both Elite commanders.

So many things had happened since then, so much more since they decided to include the government in the equation…

Her eyes focused on the painting hanging on the wall, 'Venus and Mars' by Boticelli. The rich colors of the canvas contrast with the somber decoration of her studio and she finds the theme a living contradiction – the goddess of love watching over the sleeping god of war, the keeper of love taking care of the bringer of death. She's too rational to agree with the artist's point of view, but there are some days she wishes she could share that sense of idealism, wishes she could believe that love could defeat the warrior's strength.

The Renaissance marked the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of a new perspective of life, of humanism studies, of arts and sciences developments. She likes that period of history; it was bright and positive, hopeful to say at least.

However, it wasn't the Renaissance that witnessed Prometheus's birth, but a later era, the middle age.

Human history had always been divided between pragmatic governors and idealistic leaders; two vastly different ways to interpret life. Neither of them had ever been completely right nor had they been totally wrong, and from time to time one inevitably decides that the world must be reborn according their own agenda.

Therefore, when certain individuals decided that human lives no longer held value _Prometheus_ saw the light of day for the first time and made his the shadows of night. Within a few years the initial oath between four friends who decided to step off of the sidelines and use their power to protect those who couldn't protect themselves became one of the most organized groups.

From the beginning Prometheus chose a different approach for its missions, always knowing their enemies in order to reduce the collateral damage. The group was never interested in creating a name for itself; recognition was not a goal or a purpose, neither was money. With members who held an unthinkable power, the main concern was to keep their actions invisible to the foreign eye.

Knowledge itself is power; truth is able to build a man or to destroy him, and all it takes is a decision from the person with the right knowledge. Prometheus based its strategies on that concept, _Ipsa scientia potestas est._

The organization developed its own structure with the Elite as its core, and eventually the Committee was created in order to take advantage of the experience of the senior members and provide a guide to the new leaders. The Committee was composed of former Elite members and was directly responsible for supervising the training and development of new recruits. The Elites' former leader automatically became the head of the Committee and was responsible for organizing the selection process for the new Elite members. Until the new members of the Elite gained full control of their powers and the necessary field experience, the Committee was responsible for supervising their training and development, during which time they also carried out their own missions – though once the new Elite were in control, the Committee's participation in missions was restricted. The Committee's primary function was the regulation of the Elite's actions, overseeing their performance in and outside of the field and with the authority to command meetings when they deemed necessary.

Every one of the members of the Elite had a unique DNA and greater energy fields. When the time approached and a new "Elite" needed to be assembled the Committee started searching for individuals with these characteristics. It was a long and tiring process. Those whom were chosen had the ability of influencing the environment, whether consciously or not, by using their power over one of the four elements. Physically those people had heightened senses and while they could be injured their recovery was faster than in a regular human.

Every 150 years children with higher levels of energy fields were born, every 150 years a new Elite was assembled. But like it happened with every story, human nature struck, starting a series of events that threatened the very survival of the organization, and resulting in one of the most critical decisions taken by the Committee.

Prometheus was a complex organization where every member had an importance that could not be ignored; the intricate hierarchy system ensured that in case of a killed or missing commander the balance could be maintained – it wouldn't be perfect but it would allow the rest of them to function, move forward, and hopefully, rectify the situation.

The soft knock on the door announced the end of her trip down to memory lane, what's done is done and only on rare occasions could it be changed. Only the present was by some degree still malleable and the future was always the safest bet.

"You can come in Andrea." As the door opened, Artemis looked at the formally dressed, middle aged, woman who entered her office holding a thick folder in each arm and with a headset still attached to her ear – there was no doubt that her assistant looked exhausted.

"The kids on the crystal tower made a fascinating discovery, I thought you might be interested." Andrea's casual tone of spoke volumes about the closer relationship between the two women. Andrea had known her as Patricia Hollister for more than thirty years, and worked under her lead for more than twenty despite her initial rejection.

"A fascinating discovery? Let's see if the evidence can survive my assessment." She replied as she sat behind her large oak desk looking curiously at her assistant.

"Come on Artemis when have I ever disappointed you with my news?" Andrea was the only civilian whom she allowed to call her by that name outside meetings.

Patricia Hollister was the name she started using during the last fifty years, nothing more than another identity she adopted and it will quite probably be her last. After all, time waits for no one and as the years pass she is getting older. The process might be slower, but even former Elites were bound to die at some point. No one lives forever and of that she is grateful.

Raising an eyebrow at the comment she responded, "It must be serious if you're calling me Artemis."

Brown eyes looked straight at her as Andrea calmly replied, "But it's your name, what would you rather I call you?" The younger woman's challenging tone was clear, and if a question like that had come from anyone else, hell would have broken loose.

Artemis sighed; Andrea's attitude usually reminded her of the three female members of the Elite, the sarcastic attitude of Nicole, the keen psychological insights of CeCe, and the cold, detached manner of May. Sometimes Artemis wonders if it had not been the other way around and it was Andrea who made an impression during the brief meetings she had with the girls while they were growing up.

"Fine, let's see what you got." She finally conceded.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Maximus had been on his way to Artemis' office when he caught a glimpse of Andrea walking past the oak doors. His initial dinner invitation to the head of the Committee probably would have to be delayed until her meeting was finished.

After the reunion with the D1 a couple of days ago he couldn't help but feel hopeful about the outcome. Alexander had been found and the process of de-programming had been started, if things went according to the plan, the original Commanding Officer of the Elite would be back where he belonged.

Even the best laid plans could fail; even those with all their resources could miscalculate a risk. Even they could take the wrong decisions; after all, they were still humans.

Although the matter was questionable, if they wouldn't have chosen Manticore, the current members of the Elite wouldn't have been born…then, could it be considered a mistake?

When Project Manticore was presented to a select circle of investors, the Elite members saw it as the perfect opportunity to solve all of their problems. A research project dedicated to the recombination of DNA to genetically develop the ultimate soldier was the perfect place to hide an already near perfect DNA specimen. Never in all its history had Prometheus linked itself to a specific country – however, desperate times called for desperate measures and Manticore was too good an opportunity to let pass. Besides, they were already running out of time.

Getting involved with the project wasn't a problem; sponsoring the high costs of the operations allowed them free entry to most restricted areas, specifically the one related to the in vitro fertilization process. They waited patiently and watched the results carefully. Manticore's first attempts were less than promising, their genetic manipulation techniques were still new and unproven – the first subjects made it obvious that it would take time before they achieved the required finesse.

By the time Manticore gained the experience it needed, it was already 1996 and the X4 generation had been born; the Elite observed the development of those children for two years before deciding to take the risk and fully commit to the next generation.

During 1999 the surrogate mothers for the X5 were selected and 60 healthy young women agreed to carry the babies to term. The Elite altered only 12 of the samples used in the fertilization process and waited for the results. By the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000 fifty six babies were born, among the four babies lost were two of the Elite's. During the first six months the figures reduced to fifty.

Then things stopped working as they were supposed to. Manticore drastically changed their policies and with the government fully supporting the project financially the sponsors no longer had privileges inside the facilities. The higher mortality rate and the large groups of anomalies were apparently reason enough to push away private investors – the military preferred to clean up their mess without external eyes on them.

Even the Elite couldn't extract ten babies from a military site without rising suspicions; therefore they came up with an alternative plan and proposed Prometheus Project, a new program that would use a limited number of Manticore personnel and produce the best operatives ever trained; specially enhanced subjects able to do what normal humans couldn't and with superior performance to the regular subjects from Manticore.

Years later they realized the repercussions of that decision. It had been extremely naïve on their part to not foresee the consequences of their decisions.

By the end of 2006, ten subjects from the X5 series and ten subjects from the X4 series were transferred from Manticore and officially introduced as part of the Prometheus Project. Only the X5's were part of the genetic enhancement process, from then on the X5 units became the new Elite.

'10' was a powerful number, considered in most part of the systems as a number of perfection, eternity, the representation of the power of gods. The Elite always had ten members and each of them received a code name based on Greek or Roman mythology. Every Elite generation had a regent element and a particular D1 structured around the strongest member of each element; the position of Commanding Officer fell upon the regent element member, the three left positions were filled by a Second in Command who was the next strongest person in the line and a 1st and 2nd Lieutenants. This generation's Elite's regent element was Fire, with Hades as their Commanding Officer, Nyx as his SIC, and Erebos and Thanatos filling on the positions of 1st and 2nd Lieutenants.

The hierarchy inside the Elite had different levels; the D1 was only the first of them and applied to all of the ten members. The second level was based subdivided by element, where each Commander had two lieutenants under their charge. Nyx ruled over Air with Boreas and Zephyr under her command; Erebos reigned over Water and had Hemera and Hypnos under his charge and Thanatos governed over Earth with Khaos and Circe under his lead. Hades as the ruler had the authority to interfere when and wherever he deemed fit.

The third and last level was the foundation of the "Ten Divisions" inside of Prometheus. The divisions coordinated the logistics of the operations as a whole; although, each one had assigned a specific set of tasks and resources. By the time every Elite member turned 16 years old, he or she also became involved with one of the Divisions.

"_Justice doesn't know about borders or countries",_ that had been the beginning of the first of several long tirades between Hades, Nyx, Artemis and the rest of the Committee. In the end the CO and SIC of the D1 had obtained what they had been looking for and all of the "10 Divisions" had the green light for the relocation of their bases. The wining arguments made reference to the quicker response times they would have if there were several full operative locations across the world; in terms safety of data it was better to have it split between different sites, it would take longer for an enemy to attempt to decipher their information if they only had access to small fractions of the whole.

The Committee agreed unanimously that relocation and expansion was a wise decision, and though they couldn't have known it at the time, it was a choice that would eventually save the entire organization. The attack of 2018 was a cruel reminder that Prometheus was no longer untouchable, from the partial destruction of Berlin's 5th Division Headquarters where five members of the Committee died to the abduction of the Elite D1 Commanders. It had been the beginning of a war they thought was long forgotten.

* * *

_Earlier that day he __had decided that all his pending paperwork would be done. That had been wishful thinking on his part, and now at 19:40 he wasn't even close to completing a third of it. Deciding to take a five-minute break he turned around on his chair and let his sight wander over the view, the sky was clear and the sun bathed the city with its golden shine. _

_It had been __a quiet day, too quiet, and he should have suspected that so much peace couldn't last forever. The events that followed were clear proof of it. _

_His first reaction was to __jerk away from the cold fingers that were rudely placed over his eyes, however the person behind him thought differently and kept their hold on him. As the faint sound of laughter reached his ears he resisted the urge to sigh._

"_Chicken." She stated__, still keeping her hands over his face. Only one person spoke to him in such careless way; granted she never did it when there were people around them, aware that it could undermine his reputation as the commanding officer, but sadly the same could not be said of the times when they were alone._

_He wrinkled his forehead under the ice-cold fingers, at times like these he really missed the long forgotten years when she practically ignored his existence and kept their interaction to an argument or two. _

"_Your hands are frozen"__ he replied coldly._

"_So? Not everybody loves the sun." She snickered at his lack of response, released him from her hold, and moved to stand next to him. _

_On occasions he pondered how two people so different from each other could fit together so well. Never had he questioned his decision to request her as his SIC when the D1 was assembled; he knew that only she could fill the position. And while he trusted her with his life during missions, outside of those life and death situations he was particularly mindful of her shifting nature. _

_So__ it wasn't and odd reaction from him to watch her cautiously – waiting for the next move. The way her head moved in rhythm with a song only she could hear told him he was no longer the object of her attention, apparently the sky was far more interesting than him._

_Yet__ he still had a lot of work to do. The reports lying on his desk were not going to disappear magically, and while he usually enjoyed her presence, right now it was proving to be a distraction._

"_Don't you have someone else to torture?"__ he asked in an uninterested voice as he turned his back to the window and once again faced the papers scattered in front of him. _

"_I just thought that it would be nice to visit you…Sir" Her tone was amused and she only added the last part to bug him; he rolled his eyes at her antics but didn't turn around, instead he picked one of the files and started reading._

_He knew that something was bothering her; the faint smile and relaxed posture were nothing more than part of the facade she was putting on. Deciding that it might be better to get over it, he replied nonchalantly, "You saw me this morning."_

_She turned around and plopped down on the floor next to his desk, her azure eyes studied his profile from her position as she drummed two fingers on her chin. "True. I did." She finally replied._

"_So?" His gaze left the paper and he raised an eyebrow at her expression._

_She eyed the window behind him and sighed, "I wanted to thank you." She bit her lower lip as her eyes connected with his. _

_None of them were ready to talk about it. The events were too recent and served to prove that some fears had not yet been overcome. They would need time, as the saying goes time heals all wounds. Or at least that was the hope._

_Though he held no love for paperwork,__ he would happily feign ignorance rather than acknowledge what had happened. "I don't know what you're talking about." His gaze went back to the page in his hand as he dismissed her presence. _

_She, h__owever, had different plans as she stood and delicately snatched the page he was holding away. "Thanks Alec." Her movements were swiftly coordinated as she leaned into him and her lips barely grazed his cheek. For a second his nostrils caught the vanilla scent of her skin before he realized that she was gone and the soft breeze coming through the open windows was the only thing left behind. _

"_I hate when you do that." He muttered__, complaining to the empty space. _

_They had been close since they were kids, and she had always had a tendency to do things like that when he least expected. The problem was that she wasn't seven anymore. But that was a subject he refused to analyze, not today, not tomorrow, not _ever_. As if it wasn't enough to be genetically enhanced, Commander of the D1, and the Elite; on top of everything else now he had to suffer the stupid hormonal changes. Whoever said these were the best years was sorely mistaken, being a teenager was not a pleasant experience. _

Alec realized he had dozed off again when the first drops of rain made contact with his face. He wondered how long he had spent sitting there, but made no movement to check his watch. He took a deep breath and found that it didn't hurt anymore. Breathing was easier now; the excruciating pain he had been experiencing every time his lungs were filled with air was gone.

Tentatively he brushed his fingers over his bare arm, his skin felt cold to the touch but the action hadn't been painful. As he looked down at his wrist a groan escaped from his lips, it was 15:20, and he had no idea what had happened during the last five hours.

Placing both of his hands on the floor he propped himself up, a wave of dizziness hit him for a couple of seconds and he's forced to rest his weight on the wall. His eyes scanned the place were he apparently spent most of the day but find nothing out of the ordinary, just a rooftop with the usual garbage and dirt. Though…His backpack was lying closer to the door, and something inside his mind clicked; the angle was wrong, the position inconsistent with where he woke up. There was something off.

He turned around and watched the people down on the street, pretending to be interested in watching them run for cover from the rain. The wind felt stronger and the drops got heavier, while his eyes caught movement on the building across the street. He had confirmed his suspicions, someone was watching him.

An involuntary chill forced him to acknowledge that he was getting soaked by standing in the rain, and the unpleasant feeling of damp fabric against his skin was bothering him. Whoever it was that decided to follow him would have to get moving, there was no way that he would be spending another second in this place.

As he opened the door and stood on the first step he decided to stop obsessing over the hundred scenarios running through his mind. For now he could pretend that what had happened to him was nothing more than a severe seizure; it was a lie and he knew it, but right now he could accept that lie as a truth. The last thing he needed was to attract more attention to himself, he had already done that earlier that morning and there was no need for a repeat performance.

The world expected him to behave the same way he always did, and if he wanted to keep people's questions to a minimum, then he had better act as the world expected him to.

Back on the street as he jumped on his bike he once more felt the same eerie feeling of being observed. Somehow, in a way he could not rationally explain, he knew that it wasn't a threat. It wasn't dangerous to him; however, that still didn't mean that he had to like it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Green eyes focused intently on the young man on the street unchaining a bike. "He felt us." Her voice had its professional tone, but the smirk on her lips gave her observation a different meaning.

Neil nodded absently, his duty as Alec's shadow just got more complicated. "He's more aware than before. Do you think it was triggered by that?"

"It's a possibility. With the suppressors out of his system his body regained its normal strength and capacities; however his mind had not been pressed to remember until today. He's remembering." Her eyes glimmered with hope for an instant.

She raised an eyebrow at the shrill sound of a cell phone; resisting the urge to stick his tongue at her amused expression Neil opted instead to answer the call. He listened to the person on the line and with a short 'thanks' snapped the phone shut.

"And?" she asked eagerly.

He was getting a headache in advance, and May wasn't helping. "You should go. She's arriving at JT Wilson in about an hour."

"Any lovely message you want me to deliver?" she asked smiling sweetly at his cold gaze.

"4th and Pine and don't ruin my car." He replied as he threw her a key chain with Marvin the Martian attached.

"Neil, 'an address and don't ruin my car' doesn't constitute a pick-up line… Or if it is, then it's the worst one I've ever heard. I know you can do better, now try again." May scolded as she finds herself locked in a staring contest with the plastic green alien.

"Watch it May, or I tell the world you actually have a heart and wonder of wonders it beats." He replied in a teasing voice.

Green eyes snapped upwards instantly, and she finally sighed. "I'd kill you before that happens."

"That's the cold-hearted chick I know and love; now go and bother someone else." He smirked at her as he checked the alley before jumping down.

She watched him disappear from view and seconds later she heard the sound of shoes against concrete.

"You could have asked if I wanted to jump down with you." May muttered and walked to the stairs, Neil had better watch out for her in the near future. Making her go down at least 40 flights of stairs was not funny; in fact, Neil's near future now had more clouds than Seattle's skyline.

* * *

_**Seattle, **__**Jam Pony  
**__**15:50 pm**_

The rain hadn't stopped since he woke up on that rooftop, and now thirty minutes later he was positive that there wasn't a single part of his body that remained dry. Alec walked inside Jam Pony leaving a trail of water in his wake.

Placing his bike against the wall, he moved in the direction of the lockers in order to act on the sole thought that had been running on his mind since the rain started. Comfortable and dry clothes were waiting for him in his locker. Ah, heaven.

Sky and Sketchy watched from the dining area as Alec moved, every step he made reflecting a whole new level of confidence, an air of respect commanded by his presence. There was something undeniably different about the former cage fighter.

Normal watched from the dispatch area, he couldn't place what had changed, but the boy walking a few meters away from him was a different person from the one who had greeted him mere hours before. A crazy notion flew through his mind and was discarded almost at the same time – no one matured in a matter of hours, not even Alec

The young man in question stood in front of his locker sorting through the mess inside the metal cabinet, he let out a satisfied grunt as he pulled out a wrinkled dark blue t-shirt.

He knew Max had entered the building at the same time he took off his jacket; he recognized the cadence on her steps. His fingers grasped the hem of his soaked t-shirt as she walked in front of Normal's counter, discarding the fabric and leaving his upper body exposed with the other X5 standing less than ten feet away from him.

Alec shook off the excess of water from his hair before putting on the dry t-shirt; however, the seconds his back had been exposed had been enough for Max to get a good look at the dragon that now resided on his right shoulder blade. Though he didn't understand what had caused it, he noticed the change on her breathing pattern; today had not been a good day and he was not in the mood for a lecture.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Max crossed Jam Pony's entrance in a huff; if you had feline genes in your genetic code, days with an excess of water were not your favorite thing. Right now she would kill for a hot bath with warm water and some candles and the chance to forget about today.

She hated those dreams, the memories that reminded her of that night. She had no doubt that it had been for the best, Manticore needed to be stopped and she did just that. She finished what Zack, Syl, Krit and her started but failed to do the first time. And yet, some small part of her conscious kept insisting that she had had no right to take lives in her quest for personal revenge. She had known in advance that the price would be high and she had dismissed the warnings. She had believed that she was smarter than them, and in a way she was because she had survived; but what about those who had been trapped inside the barracks and didn't have a choice?

She shoved her bike roughly against the wall, she wouldn't think about it. It wouldn't change anything now.

As she walked in front of the dispatch counter she noticed the lack of people – it wasn't surprising considering that it was raining cats and dogs, and it also explained why the ones who were brave or stupid enough to be there where soaked to the bone.

Max stood rooted to the floor as she watched Alec standing half naked in front of his locker. It wasn't the fact that the X5 was shirtless, nor the way his perfectly toned muscles flexed as he pulled on his t-shirt – Though she would never admit it, Max knew Alec was easy on the eye – that was the cause of her shocked state. What surprised her was the dragon on his back.

When and why would he have done that? Wasn't it enough to have a barcode on the back of his neck?

Apparently it wasn't. And the rouge X5 now had a tattoo. The thin black lines in a tribal design composed the body of the mythical creature that now graced Alec's skin, and Max couldn't help but notice that the dragon seemed to be laughing at her.

There was no logical reason for her to be angry at him, it was, after all, his body and while a tattoo might get him more attention it was nowhere near as stupid as going back to cage fighting. There was no real danger of exposure, but still, she couldn't shake the feeling of being left out of the loop. Lately Alec had been acting like different person and it kept pushing her out of her comfort zone, the zone where she knew what she could expect from him.

There were too many holes regarding his place inside Manticore and the information Logan had obtained had done nothing to ease their doubts. Alec kept changing, morphing in front of her eyes at a frightening speed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He mentally counted the seconds left before the explosion known as Max finally happens…3, 2, 1 and…

"What the hell were you thinking?!" The brunette moved to stand next to him, too close in his opinion. It wasn't uncommon for her when she was truly enraged – she only ever stood that close to him when she was planning to hit him – Max invading his personal space never ended well for him.

But today was different, and he simply couldn't find the patience he usually had when dealing with Max. Ever since he woke up this morning, the day had been one painful discovery after another, and the last thing he needed was Max starting in on another meaningless rampage.

"Want to be more specific Max? See, I have billions of nerve cells so if you're asking what I was thinking a minute ago it's probably different than what I'm thinking now." The sarcastic remark was delivered with the usual smirk as Alec closed the door of his locker and waited for her response.

Max advanced even further, crowding into him and hissed, "I'm talking about the 'look-at-me' tattoo on your back. Damn it Alec, what part of staying low don't you get?" She made her point by raising her hand and attempting to hit him in the head.

Only this time her hand didn't reach its planned destination.

She found herself pushed back against the locker in a swift movement, her arms held above her head as Alec's body pinned her movements before she could try to free herself. Max got lost for an instant watching the hazel eyes that were looking intently at her.

"I already told you Max, I'm not your charity case, you don't have to look after me and I don't have to explain my decisions to you." His voice was cold, unemotional as he spoke; his lips almost touched her face, so close that she felt his breath against her skin.

As fast as it began it ended, and he released his hold on her in the same quick motion. Turning around he picked up his jacket and strode casually towards Normal's desk.

"Boss, I'm taking you up on that earlier offer. I'm not feeling that good." He didn't even need to put on an act prove it, he wasn't feeling good, and he hadn't been feeling good or normal since he woke up.

"Sure boy, take it easy." Normal watched him as he walked out of the building carrying his bike and wondered what, exactly, was going on. Something told him that things were about to change, and the changes wouldn't be unnoticed.

Max sat on the bench still trying to process what happened. It had been the first time that Alec reacted like that, he had replied her in a similar tone the past days, but he never had done anything that implied physical contact.

The most frustrating part wasn't that Alec was becoming someone completely different in a matter of days; it was her reaction to those changes. For the first time she realized that she might be attracted to the other X5, even if only a little bit.

The discovery was under no terms welcome news to Max, and she couldn't help but remember OC's words the first time her friend saw the other X5. Cindy had told her that 'she had issues' and that she could 'say what she wanted but they sure made them pretty' – today she realized the truth behind that offhanded statement.

OC warily eyed Max brooding silently over her own thoughts before she decided to sit next to her. "What's up girl?"

"Life sucks." Max replied flatly.

"Yeah we know, but do we hate life for something specific today?" OC knew that whatever had happened had been huge by the confused expression on Max's face

Max sighed and replied with the one word that summarized her current headache. "Alec."

OC rolled her eyes fondly, remembering the multitude of harebrained schemes concocted by the wayward X5. "What'd your boy do this time?"

"He…ughhh. He's just Alec but different." Max wasn't ready to tell any living soul that she might be slightly attracted to the bane of her existence. Besides, she wasn't sure if it was some sort of attraction or just a chemical imbalance, she would accept any theory that could explain why she was feeling the way she was, _especially _if it meant that it would go away.

OC had to admit that she had seen the changes; Alec had definitely looked different that morning.

"He wasn't looking too hot this morning. Boy looked like he had a rough night."

Max hadn't seen him in the morning, by the time she arrived at Jam Pony Alec was long gone but he did seem to be a little pale. "He got a tattoo."

"That don't sound too bad. Where?" OC didn't see the problem. So he got a tattoo. It didn't seem to be a big issue.

Max stubbornly defended her point. "Shoulder blade, it will attract attention."

OC raised an eyebrow as she heard the location, "How did you get to see it girl?"

"He was changing when I got here." Max replied, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

"So you talked to him." The young black woman concluded.

Max sighed, "And he got pissed off."

"And?" After watching the interaction between those two OC had learned that Max usually started, lead and ended their fights, so for her friend to be so confused something had to have happened that altered the order of things.

"And nothing, he got pissed off and left." Max replied with a vacant look in her eyes.

"Boo you're sittin' here 'cause he left?" OC couldn't help but ask. If that was the reason Max being the way she was, than the situation really didn't make sense at all. Max's pager went off and she checked the number, recognizing the familiar digits she stood up.

"I have to see Logan. See you later?" Max asked turning around to receive a nod from her best friend.

Logan's page was sign sent from the heavens, OC's intuition was too accurate and Max had learned that her friend could always recognize when she was lying. The thing with Alec was that there wasn't anything with Alec, it had been a fluke. She was tired and soaked with muddy water, she had just imagined things.

* * *

_**JT Wilson Private Airstrip  
**__**16:30 pm**_

The private jet approached the city of Seattle and the lone passenger watched, amused by the intermittent rain that fell over the city. Apparently Biggs and Neil's reports about the weather were not exaggerated; the city seemed to be fond of precipitations.

She didn't mind at all, with Water as her element she got used to rainy days a long time ago; besides, rain was a hundred times better than snow.

CeCe wondered how he was. It has been so long since the last time she had seen him, almost two years. Life had continued, time passed, nothing really changed and at the same time everything did.

Chaos reigned during the first two weeks, their controlled environment crumbled in front of their eyes. Half of the Committee died during the attack at the facilities of the 5th Division, and hours later both the CO and SIC of the Elite were missing in action; their belief that they were untouchable proved to be nothing more than a lie.

"Alec" she whispered softly.

Alec, or Alexander for some of the Committee members, the Commanding Officer of the Elite and the D1 who became a prodigy by his own merits and was considered the most powerful ruler of Fire of the last five centuries. Intelligent and intuitive, outspoken and extremely sociable, Alec's personality was misleading by nature. The CO of the Elite chose who he wanted to be depending on the occasion; his performance for the people who didn't know him was a way to keep them from getting closer and concealed his true intentions from them.

CeCe was well aware of the complex personality of the Elite's commanding officer; Alec could be a walking contradiction if he wanted to. And most of the time that was exactly what he wanted.

Being an excellent strategist with persuasion powers that bordered manipulation, Alec used his natural charm on people in order to accomplish his goals. He usually walked on the edge, sometimes discerning what was wrong or right was not an easy task, black and white occasionally blended together. Being the person in charge under those conditions was more a burden than a gift.

It was a hard lesson to learn that things were not always good or bad; that depending on the point of view that they were seen in, life was nothing more than a matter of perceptions and values. And when it came to Alec the voice he would pay attention to was hers.

Nicole, the youngest member of the Elite who was also the SIC and part of the D1. As the Ruler of Air, she shared the shifting nature of her element.

Smart and witty, outspoken and often sarcastic, Nicole's personality changed drastically when she was barely ten after a mission that had almost cost her life. Cynical not by nature but by experience, she never trusted people or their motives until she had facts that supported them. Ironically, she had a gift for faking sympathy in order to gain trust, though it was rare for her to truly empathize with anyone.

Nicole was Alec's connection to a different perception of life.

Alec and Nicole were probably the most complex people inside Prometheus. Maybe that was the reason they were so close to each other. Both of them carried their own burdens, memories that couldn't be erased and scars that refused to heal. Both of them supported the other, understood what the other was going through.

CeCe let out a sigh; it would be harder now. She remembered all of the things that had led them to this point and couldn't help but feel powerless. Knowledge is power, and while this time she has the knowledge, she has the feeling that it will prove to be useless.

The flight attendant walked to her seat and politely informed her that they would be landing soon.

Her light blue eyes focused once again on the window, the jet descending gradually until the tires touched the ground.

It was time.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Blue eyes met green and CeCe couldn't help but laugh at the annoyed expression on May's face as she made a face at the storm currently drenching the city.

"Hey Ce, how was the flight?" May's habitual cold tone made the blonde smile. There were some things that would never change and for that she was grateful, May's bitchy personality was one of them.

"Long and exhausting as usual. How's everything here?" She asked as both women walked off the private airstrip.

May led them to a black BMW, "I'll tell you in the car, come on let's go."

CeCe was half away through her chocolate bar by the time they got to the highway. "So, from what you've seen, so far today's episode was the worst?"

"Yes, but there's no guarantee it will be the last." May replied her without looking to her side; the sound of the wrap being twisted let her know that CeCe was still munching on her snack.

"How did you control it?"

The question caught her off guard and she turned her body to face the other woman before replying, "I injected him with a sedative."

CeCe stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, "He wasn't awake. Next time he needs to realize what's happening."

May sighed at the blonde's suggestion, "You know as well as I do that every element is different. Pollux and Juno died during the attack and they were the only members of the Committee who controlled fire or might have been able to help us with this."

"I know that. But I also know how to control it if it's starting, I might be able to help him the next time something like this happens."

May slowed the car and gave her attention fully to her companion. "How?"

CeCe's eyes focused on the storm outside as her fingers played idly with the ring on her right hand. "Nicole. She said that as his SIC she had to learn the basics, but that if something happened to her at least someone else should have the basic knowledge."

"And she told you, that's why Finn chose you for this mission." May nodded at the logic of that, Nicole had always had an uncanny way of predicting what was going to happen.

This time it was CeCe who sighed, "For obvious reasons she just explain the basics, I lack the power and strength from the original D1 members, and what I learned can only be used at the very beginning. Finn doesn't know that I know anything about it."

May raised an eyebrow at that piece of information, but kept quiet. Changing the subject she asked the question that had been on her mind for the last two days. "Any news about her?"

"Not yet, right now Hades is our best shot." CeCe answered softly.

* * *

_**Georgia's Embassy  
**__**16:30 pm**_

The warmth provided by the fireplace helped him relax. It had been a strange week, surrounded by even stranger events, some of which were good and others which were going straight to the corner of his mind where he left things that he would rather forget. His eyes left the novel he was reading and watched as the rain drops hit the glass intermittently; it wasn't a good day to be outside.

Taking a sip of wine, Evgraf Sokolov returned to his reading only to be interrupted by a soft knock on the door. "Come in." he replied lazily as he set the book on the table.

"Sir, there's someone at the front door that has requested an interview under Article 193."

Sokolov curled his lips in a smile hearing the news. Rising from the sofa he walked toward the door.

"It's ok, Andre. Now, tell me, is this person a young man?" He asked as they walked to the front of the house.

The man looked surprised by the ambassador's question, "Yes sir. How did you know?"

"Years of experience Andre, give it twenty more years and you'll understand." Was Sokolov's response.

As they reached the foyer, Evgraf wore an amused expression which he complemented with a perfectly raised eyebrow.

"Nikolai my boy, you look terrible." And by Evgraf Sokolov's standards Nikolai did, indeed look dreadful. Soaked to the bone and wearing clothes that fit but didn't agree with him, the paleness of the younger man's skin was troubling.

"Thanks, I appreciate the concern." Alec replied with a fake smirk plastered on his face.

"Always the same." Evgraf replied with a chuckle before adding. "Come on, why are you still standing there? …Mariam, lead him to the guest room and get him some clean and dry clothes." Looking at Alec's appearance he shook his head in disapproval but smiled warmly, "Once you're done come by the studio."

Alec wasn't sure why he was there, by the time he had realized where he was going he was already ringing the bell. He didn't want to go back to his own place and the idea of hitting a bar was not appealing.

The truth was that he didn't want to be alone – being alone would lead to him thinking about everything that he'd rather not be thinking about, and just for a couple hours he wanted to pretend that things were the same and that nothing had changed. He wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't judge him and criticize every decision he made, someone he could talk to, someone to listen and who he could listen to in return. He was looking for a friend, and Evgraf Sokolov was the only one in the neighborhood.

Alec allowed the petite woman to lead the way, and she filled the silence by telling him that even young people could get sick if they went traipsing around in thunderstorms. Ten minutes later, as he stood under the spray of hot water, he was convinced that getting a lecture from the preachy young lady had been completely worth it. The water helped relax his muscles and washed away all the stress and fatigue of the day.

After his long and well deserved shower, he had to suppress a chuckle as he saw the clothes that had been laid out for him. Dress shirts and pants and even some ties. Evgraf had always disliked jeans and t-shirts and the new clothes were a particularly unsubtle hint that his old clothes simply weren't up to snuff. He wasn't going to complain; in fact, today he was inclined to agree with the older man.

The young man who strode past him and toward the studio reminded Andre of someone, still he was unable to make the connection. Tall and athletic, the stranger had a stance that exuded power and mystery; he wondered when the stranger arrived.

Alec walked into the studio without knocking and found Evgraf intently analyzing his profile. "You seem to have forgotten the tie Nikolai." Sokolov commented, pleased to see that his friend's color was starting to improve.

"Not really, I have it here. I just choose to give her the day off."

Evgraf dipped his head indulgently at the man sitting in front of him. Even though Nikolai would always be the sixteen year old boy he'd met all those years ago, today there was something missing in his friend's eyes. "I'm glad to see you, though I didn't expect it."

Alec's gaze was fixed on the fireplace and the fire slowing consuming the wood. "I know, I just…How did you meet your wife Evgraf?" he had been about to admit that he was lost, had almost reached the end of his endurance, that he desperately needed to find some answers before he lost his mind. . . But he couldn't bring himself to do it – had stopped and asked a meaningless question instead.

Evgraf Sokolov may not have had children with his wife, he might never have experienced the joys and miseries of being a parent, but he had seen it in the eyes of his friends and their kids. He had seen the vulnerability of a child admitting defeat to his parents, and right now something similar could be said of the expression on Nikolai's face. So he decided not to push the younger man. . . Se liked to think that when his friend was ready, Nikolai would be willing talk to him and hopefully he would be able to help.

"Ahh let me see, it was a warm spring night. I was in Venice for a conference of some kind and she was there for the holydays. The moment she entered the room I knew she was bad news," he smiled wistfully. "The kind of bad news that makes you realize life won't make sense without her in it. . . " Efgrav continued his story, recalling the time he fell in love with his wife, the emotions and thoughts that spun through his mind at that time.

Alec smiled and paid special attention to every gesture the older man made, the way his eyes sparkled as he recounted the first words he had exchanged with the love of his life. He had seen them together and he always thought that if he ever fell in love he would want nothing less than that. Evgraf didn't deserve to be alone during his last years, not after having had Endzela in his life.

But time waits for no one and Evgraf continued his story as a pair of hazel eyes watched with childlike wonder, worries and problems forgotten for the moment as the rain continued to fall across the city.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The lone figure in the rain calmly took in the scene. He hated the rain, despised the feeling of being soaked, but right now it was worth it.

Neil watched as Alec and Evgraf talked like old friends. Something about Evgraf reminded him of Peter McAllister, maybe that was why Alec seemed so comfortable around the older man. He couldn't know for sure, he hadn't been part of the team that worked the Tbilisi Agenda, so he didn't know what kinds of bonds were forged between them, but it was good to see that Alec had someone he felt comfortable talking to.

Sokolov's concern for Alec was all the proof Neil needed that the man was an ally. The beeping in his pocket reminded him that he should probably carry a change of clothes around until CeCe could take control of the situation.

"Good news?" He asked hopefully.

CeCe frowned at the phone in her hand, and watched May who was smirking in a self-satisfied manner, "Sure. Interest rates have decreased and now you can get the loan you've always wanted." She replied, quoting the highway billboard they had just passed.

"What?" Neil asked confused.

"It's your fault. You asked for good news I'm not a news agency." CeCe complained, trying her best not to laugh.

"Hello Claire." Neil tried to sound calm and professional, two things he was not feeling at the moment.

"It's CeCe, Neil." She pointed out, slightly annoyed.

Neil chuckled "I know Claire."

Before CeCe had time to respond, May's voice was heard in the background. "Could you two stop flirting and get back to business, please?"

"Where's our boy?" CeCe asked quickly, her cheeks stained red and glaring at May with barely controlled fury.

"The Georgian Embassy. He's drinking wine on a comfortable sofa while I'm being soaked in toxic water."

CeCe smiled at his belligerence, "You're genetically enhanced Neil, you'll live."

"Where are you?" he asked as he watched the darker clouds in the sky.

"Five blocks away from the Jam Pony building, I'm about to get a job. After that I'll check in with you and from there I'll handle the surveillance." CeCe had changed her tone and was probably running variables on her mind. Neil recognized the pattern; she was becoming the character.

"OK, I'll see you two later." He replied and closed the phone.

It was getting cold, genetically enhanced or not his body felt the effects of the weather. He really hated this city.

* * *

_**Jam Pony  
**__**17:45 pm**_

Not many people stayed inside the building after hours on regular days, on days like these when the sky seemed to be falling down the ones who remained inside were only trying to avoid the rain for as long as possible.

Max and Cindy were playing cards on the bench while Sketchy and Jim watched TV. Normal was busy organizing the receipts from the deliveries. It had been a slow day, half of his employees went MIA once the storm started and the ones who came back did everything in their power to avoid being sent out of the building. Lazy bums, all of them were nothing more than lazy bums who didn't recognize the value of a job.

As he raised his head he was awestruck by the view. A pretty girl, probably in her early twenties was standing in front of his counter with a smile on her face and amusement glittering in her light blue eyes.

Her voice complemented her looks, "Good evening sir, I'm looking for a job. I'm a hard worker and very responsible, plus I'm polite and I don't mind the rain." She spoke fast and smiled at him and Normal couldn't help but smile back; that had been the most inventive line to get a job he had ever heard.

He handed her the form and watched as she filled in the information with a nice calligraphy. Checking her name, he decided to give her the talk that every soul that requested a job from him had to endure. "Claire, I gotta warn you, I got lots of resumes in that closet."

She raised her eyes to look at him as her voice took on a desperate tone…"But you're not going to put mine in there, are you? I just moved to the city, and I've got the smallest apartment you've ever seen, but I'll end up starving if I don't get a job." Her eyes glistened with tears as her lips formed a pout and her breathing got erratic.

Normal recognized the signs and panicked, she was about to cry and if there was one thing he can't stand it was a crying girl.

"Look princess, let's make a deal. I'll give you the job temporarily, then you have next week to prove to me that you can do it. How 'bout that?"

She rewarded him with the brightest smile he's ever seen, as she held her hand in front of him. "It's a deal. So I start Monday?"

"At 09:30 am sharp and don't be late." He replied in a huff – he really hadn't been looking to hire anyone.

"Yes, boss." She grinned and strolled out the door.

Cindy raised an eyebrow as she watched the blond girl depart. That had been one hell of a show for anyone paying attention.

"What is it?" Max asked as she stared blankly at her cards.

"Normal hired a new girl." OC relays dryly.

Max raised her eyes looking for a new face but finding only Normal and the boys. "Really?"

"Yeah, she's a cute little thing too. Blonde hair and big blue eyes. . ." OC leered a little, that girl had been _fine_.

"I'm sure Alec will be glad to hear that." Max spat bitterly.

OC looked at her friend and smirked; green was not a good color for Max. She wondered vaguely if Alec knew how much jealously he leaves in his wake wherever he goes.

Things were going to get interesting.

* * *

_**Georgia's Embassy  
**__**19:00 pm**_

Alec laughed at Evgraf's story telling prowess, trying to imagine the events in his head. The last two hours had been spent between telling stories and two games of chess. It had been an interesting diversion, but he couldn't avoid the truth forever.

"…and three weeks later you and Katrina were standing in front of my door." Sokolov finished.

Alec looked at the older man, it was now or never.

"I don't know where she is. I don't even know what I am doing here." His eyes focused somewhere a million miles away.

Evgraf looked at him, that was something he hadn't expected and he wasn't sure what kind of response was expected of him. "What do you mean Nikolai?"

"I woke up one day remembering things that apparently were part of my life, only I'm not living that life _now_. I don't really remember it. . . There are new details, things I remember about people, places and events that I only know because I see them in my mind – I just can't put it all together. The first time I saw you, I knew I'd met you before but I didn't know how. I'm not even sure if it's real. I mean, it has to be because _you're _real." Alec felt strangely better after having said all of that out loud. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that it had been careless to just blurt it all out there like that.

"I'm real Nikolai, and I'm quite sure that Katrina was also real. I might have something that will reassure you." Sokolov walked toward the desk and opened the second drawer; he took out a carved box and walked back to where the young man was sitting.

"Here, take a look at these. Endzela loved taking pictures, you can keep them if you'd like." He said as he placed the box in Alec's hands.

Alec watched the box warily, unsure if he should open it. The sound of Evgraf's laugh makes him look up.

"It's not going to bite you Nikolai." Chided the older man.

Slowly he pried off the lid of the box, inside were the promised pictures. Taking them out of the box he a smiled formed on his lips. The first picture showed him and Nicole standing in front of Sokolov's house gates. Her hair was tied loosely in a ponytail, wearing a black coat that reached her knees, her eyes were focused on something in front of her but her face was turned in his direction. His face looked stony as he was also looking at a point straight ahead of them; his hand holding something that looked like a PDA.

Most of the pictures were just snapshots, taken when both of them were doing surveillance or coordinating some action. The last two pictures were different though. In one, he was slouched down in a molded plastic chair, eyes showing anger and despair in equal parts, his hair mussed as if his fingers had gone through it many times. The grief of his expression was clear by the way his brow was furrowed, his eyes shining with something he recognized in himself as fear.

The last picture showed Nicole alone, a small bandage on her neck which almost went unnoticed as the expression on her face took all his attention. She had been smiling brightly at someone, her eyes sparkling and the unique cobalt blue seemed to be reflecting other colors as well. He could almost smell the vanilla scent of her skin.

"Those last two pictures were taken after the attack against my wife. You spent the whole night by her side, I wasn't sure if you were worried sick or furious at her. I suppose it was both, wasn't it Nikolai?"

"She was careless, I was furious and at the same time terrified that she would never wake up. It was quite stupid on my part." Alec admitted, still looking at her smile on the picture.

Evgraf smiled at the expression on Alec's face. He wasn't sure if he would be able to help the younger man, but at least he could always offer him support as a friend.

"Thanks." Alec raised his head and looked at the older man, for the first time in that week letting himself believe that maybe he wasn't going crazy. The questions were still there, but the most important thing was that it was all real.

"Don't mention it Nikolai."

Alec watched him and made a decision. "Alec, my name is Alec."

Evgraf raised an eyebrow at the admission, "It doesn't matter boy, for me you'll always be Nikolai. And you will always be welcome here." He raised his glass and proposed a toast. Alec laughed with the older man as they raised their glasses over snapshots and friends.

Alec left the house after declining dinner at the Embassy. There was somewhere he needed to go; somehow he suspected that a lot of his questions could be answered.

* * *

**_Foggle Towers  
19:18 pm_**

Logan had been talking for a while but for the love of her she couldn't find a way to keep her attention on his words. Stealing a glance at the clock on the corner of his screen she raised an eyebrow, it was already 19:15.

"Are you gonna tell me what's on your mind?" Logan asked his unofficial girlfriend after having spent the last hour trying unsuccessfully to start a conversation.

Max looked up at him. "It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing. Is this related to Alec?" He forced himself to ask, thinking that maybe Alec's behavior had been more erratic than yesterday's.

Max straightened her back and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Why do ask that?"

Logan was shocked by her response, "You were worried about him yesterday; I only guessed that maybe he wasn't acting like himself today. Why are you acting like this?"

She cursed herself; she was overreacting and in the process attracting the attention she had been trying to avoid. She tried to calm her nerves and before looking back at Logan. "Sorry, I just had a bad day, too many packages and too few of us to deliver them. And Alec got a tattoo. It was just. . . just a long day."

"What did he get?" he asked absently as he moved back to his computer and started to type something.

"A stupid dragon that seems to be laughing in your face when you look at It." she replied as she bit down on the cheese slice she had gotten from his fridge.

Logan laughed at her comment. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"I'm kind of tired; I think I'm gonna call it a night."

He gave her a look, a look that told her that he thought she was running away. "You don't sleep that much."

"That doesn't mean that I don't need to sleep at all. I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked as she moved away from him. He was right, she was running away but not from him, she just needed time for herself.

"Sure, I'll be here." was the quite reply.

Logan waited until he heard the click of the door to let out a frustrated sigh. There were some days when he felt that they were not moving forward but backwards.

* * *

_**Seattle  
**__**19:45 pm**_

Alec looked at the empty street, walking towards the black Honda that was parked there. He studied the bike for a moment and 15 seconds later had it wired, jumping on he drove and got lost in the city traffic.

CeCe had been following him since he had left the Embassy. She raised an eyebrow at seeing her commanding officer stealing a bike, but followed his example she and got one for herself.

Once Alec left the city, she decided to notify May and Neil just in case things got out of control again. As the landscape changed and the sparse trees surrounding the road became a forest, she realized exactly where they were going. They were approaching the old Manticore facility.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Max felt the cold wind as it hit her face, she was getting closer. She wasn't sure why she was going back, there was nothing left there.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Alec left the bike close to what had once upon a time been the entrance gate. He forced himself to remember how the place had looked, the electrified fences and the guards on the perimeter. He could almost see them now.

He continued walking past the debris of barrack after barrack until he was standing where the medical ward had been. A cold chill coursed through his body as his mind remembered that place, the smell of disinfectant and death, the white coats of the doctors and nurses. The metallic sounds during the procedures.

_He __was strapped to the chair, wires and needles attached to his body, voices around him asking questions about Prometheus, about the Elite. He wasn't answering them, his mind wasn't even there, he felt numb, dead inside. He knew for a fact that something terrible had happened and that it was his fault, he didn't care what they did to him, he didn't care about living anymore._

Alec felt someone approaching and turned his head slowly to see the newcomer. It was strange that someone would be here at the same time as him.

As the steps grew closer he couldn't help but groan as he recognized the sound. Max was here.

The brunette looked as exasperated at finding him as he felt. "What are you doing here?" she asked eyeing him suspiciously

Alec snorted in response, why did she always believe that everything in this life revolved around her…"Why Max, do I need to have special permission to hang around the debris of what used to be Manticore? Or are you the only one allowed to be here, seeing as you're the one who burned down the place?"

The biting sarcasm of his remark hit a sore sport with her. Max was well aware that she had burnt the place down, she didn't need the reminder. And knowing how things had turned out, she probably would have done things differently if given a second chance, but even she couldn't travel through time. "You could never understand, you were nothing more than their pawn. A cold blooded murder who didn't care about anything but himself. . . In fact, you haven't changed that much."

Alec didn't bother with a response as his gaze flitted distractedly around the remains of Manticore, at the twisted metal and concrete that was all that was left of the most advanced military facilities on Earth.

"_Alec, don't."_

"_You won't hurt her."_

"_Alec, it's me. Please stop."_

"_You're not going to get out of this alive."_

"_Please look at me…"_

_His hand hadn't hesitated as he emptied the cha__mber. He watched as the blood from the cuts and bullet wounds dripped on the floor. His head felt heavy and his body wasn't responding. His vision went blurry before going completely dark. _

_The next time he opened his eyes his hand was resting on something sticky and cold. As his eyes slowly refocused he suppressed the urge to be sick as he realized that he was soaked in blood – someone else's blood. Two meters away from him another body lay sprawled on the floor. He felt a shiver course through his body as he recognized the brown locks. _

It couldn't be real, he couldn't have done it.

The wind around him grew stronger, the temperature increased and he could feel the same burning sensation shooting through his veins. He knew he was losing control and the first convulsion sent him stumbling.

Max took a quick step back when she noticed his eyes; the golden flecks had multiplied, nearly overtaking the green of his irises, while Alec himself seemed to be in some sort of trance. Suddenly the wind changed and leaves and dust flew wildly around them. She felt the change in the weather; it was no longer a cold night and the temperature kept increasing. She took another step back, unsure of what to do. A second later it didn't matter – something hit the back of her head hard and the world went black.

CeCe closed her eyes and concentrated on using her energy to channel Alec's. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she made her way toward him. This was not how it was supposed to be, she hadn't expected to let him see her so soon.

"Stop it." Her voice cut the air and interrupted his concentration, his gaze focusing on the pale blue eyes of the girl watching him.

"You…" he started, his voice hoarse. Her face, he knew her, his mind working quickly as memories passed in front his eyes. "Claire" he said before falling to his knees and loosing consciousness.

CeCe caught him before he hit the ground, keeping her arms around his shoulders. Slowly she laid him on the ground.

"Is he ok?" Neil asked as he carried the unconscious Max.

She didn't look up at him, eyes fixed on their CO. "He will be. Something happened here, besides the procedure to erase his memories."

"How do you know?" May asked as she knelt next to Alec to check his vitals.

CeCe bit her lip before replying, there was no evidence to support her theory, but she knew it all the same. "The look on his face was of complete and utter shock – it was as if he remembered something terrible."

"I'll help you to carry him to the car." Neil offered.

"No. I think it would be better for him to wake up here. I won't leave and I'll make sure that I'm the first thing he sees when he wakes up."

May nodded at her decision and looked to Neil who still had ahold of the unconscious Max. "I think it would be better if she wakes up somewhere else."

"Let's go then, and Claire…call if you need anything." Neil told her as May supported the left side of Max's body.

CeCe only nodded at them as her mind was already miles away, to another time and place when none of them would have believed that something like this could happen.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The two shadows walked silently between the trees carrying a third body.

"How is it that someone so small can be so heavy?" May asked as grunting at the burden that only half of Max's weight on her shoulder.

"If you hadn't knocked her cold, maybe it wouldn't be such pain in the arse to move her unconscious body through the forest without attracting attention." Neil snapped.

"She was irritating, it even irritated you." she declared as it could justify her actions.

"Right now my irritation is focused on you." he replied in a matter of fact tone.

_to be continued_


	13. Fragments Of A Memory

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note****: **In case you're wondering if this is just a fidget of your imagination…well rest assure, it's not because I had finally updated the story. I sincerely apologize for the prolonged absence; a lot of things happened in all this time – moving, car accident and flu episode (not exactly in that order) – and I found myself unable to sit down and took some time to complete this chapter.

Thanks to Jenna for her work as beta for this chapter, she's always fighting bravely against my verbs tense crimes.LOL. Thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter and to the ones who took some time to ask and request an update ;)

I promise that next update wouldn't take this long, now let's get on the story…

* * *

_**Chapter 12  
**__**Fragments Of A Memory**_

_His eyes are fixed on a screen displaying the layout of a building illuminated by small blinking dots. Static from the comm unit still attached to his __ear is the only background sound. His face doesn't reflect anything but boredom as he drums his fingers rhythmically against the flat surface of the keyboard; years of practice masking your emotions were quite useful sometimes. _

_Two weeks of research, profiling and planning had practically gone down the drain; if it had been his time he'd be really pissed by now, but that wasn't the case. Instead, he was frustrated by the prolonged waiting, the failure of the communication which had left him in the dark about the status of Alpha-Team for the last twenty minutes, and the obvious gaps between reality and the so-called 'intelligence' they had been briefed with._

_If his team couldn't extract the mark from hostile territory, the whole mission would be nothing more than a waste of lives, time and resources. Alec massaged the bridge of his nose, he had to admit that it might have been too bold a plan on his part, but at the time the potential benefits had seemed to outweigh the risks; back when he had been missing vital information about their enemies. _

_Looking at the blinking screen he suppressed the urge to burn something if only to release some of the stress he was feeling. Besides providing the right location, their intel had proven useless – nothing had been as it was supposed to be. There was always a downside of joining up on a mission that was already in motion; this time he had missed the planning, the gathering of vital information. The beginning of a killer headache reminded him why he avoided these sorts of situations._

_It would have been less chaotic if they had been called from the very beginning. Sometimes the Committee's actions defied all logic. While he understood their need to maintain control over some aspects inside Prometheus, he firmly believed that missions of this type should always be supervised by an Elite. _

_Their target, Raphael Bocci, was a dangerous combination of a cold blooded killer and sophisticated business man. His less scrupulous business dealings had recently caught Prometheus' attention and the Committee had sent a Shadow team to take care of the situation. However, the SO team found more than they expected, after the first recon trip they found Dr. Kristopher Jurgen, a renowned physicist kidnapped a month ago. The Committee eventually ended up requesting the Elite's support for coordinating the clean extraction of the hostage. _

_Unfortunately __Bocci's main objective hadn't been chemical weapons as the Committee had been led to believe, the man's ultimate goal was far simpler and at the same time more complex. He had been financing the development of a nanochip that worked as a nerve-block; once it was implanted into the brain of a subject the device warmed up the nerves to a higher temperature than a regular PRF technique; it effectively produced a temporal interruption of pain recognition. _

_The new technology allowed Bocci to achieve better control of the neuromodulation of pain, allowed him to turn his usual thugs into fighting machines unhindered by physical pain. The new chips enabled him to create small armies of super soldiers capable of fighting through nearly any injury – the perfect soldiers for militant groups like RAV-4, one of the most aggressive in the world. _

_Science was always pushing limits and tearing down old paradigms, it could be used to save lives or end them in a matter of seconds. He was the result of scientific advances in genetics, just like the men who were slaughtering the SO Team he had sent to retrieve the hostage; the irony of the situation wasn't lost to Alec. _

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

'_Don't stare at him; whatever you do don't stare at him.' That had been the advice from Marty, and James had been trying to follow it for the last half hour; inevitably, he did look and couldn't help but stare at the young man sitting in front of him. Under normal circumstances he might never have seen an Elite – he certainly wouldn't have ended up working as their Data Analyst. He, like most of the people at Prometheus, had heard about more than seen the legendary group. _

_Prometheus had complex structures and hierarchy levels for almost everything, the analysis of data was no exception. He was a Class 3 Analyst and worked almost exclusively with SO teams. Each Elite member had C5 analysts assigned from the Crystal Tower, so he had always believed that his chances of meeting face to face with the Elite's CO had been practically non existent._

_This was supposed to be an average mission, and it had been until 16 hours ago. It all started when one of their operatives had been killed during a surveillance incursion; when the carefully designed plan began to crumble. _

_Eight__ hours ago, two new members had joined the mission. The newcomers' late addition wouldn't have been out of the ordinary if the pair had also been part of a SO unit; that had not been the case, they were Elite members; Elite memebers who also happened to be the CO and his SIC._

_The kid sitting in front of him was barely a man, probably around twenty, though despite his young age there was already a dangerous aura surrounding him. The black attire made him look even more intimidating as his hazel eyes remained locked on the laptop in front of him; impassively scrutinizing the increasing number of bright dots swarming across the screen. The drumming becomes more intense and James wonders once again how he ended up as the data analyst to the Commanding Officer of the Elite. _

_The analyst finds the kid's expression wholly unreadable; he doesn't look particularly worried or angry at the events that had completely changed the original parameters of the mission. _

_As h__is laptop emits a shrill beep he glances down only to see the number of bright dots identifying the hostiles finally decreasing number. _

"_Don't." __The hoarse command causes the analyst to look up just in time to see the CO of the Elite muttering a creative string of curses as he glares at the quickly disappearing dots on the screen. The drumming stops abruptly and for that brief second he would swear that Alec's hazel eyes have golden flecks in them._

_Ten minutes and twenty three seconds later two bloody and battered SO operatives enter the van carrying a third shocked but apparently unharmed civilian in his late forties._

_Alec stands up and focuses his attention on the blond operative who seems to be in better condition than his partner. "Are you able to report?" The man nods as they walk into the room. _

_The SO member takes__ a deep breath, knowing that what he has to say is not what his CO wants to hear. Alec had assigned them a duty and they had failed utterly, not only had he lost most of his team but he had been unable to extract the mark until Alpha Leader had come to their rescue. "Three losses Sir, Target is safe. Alpha Leader is cauterizing the site."_

_Alec suppresses__ the urge to sigh; he had recognized her handiwork the moment the dots started to disappear from the screen. He had issued a direct order for her to wait for the backup team and she had completely disregarded his authority. Bocci's men had proved to be a serious threat; the four dead members of the SO team were proof of it. _

"_Call Housekeeping and organize Dr. Jurgen's transfer." Alec's voice leaves no room for argument as he picks four more chargers and places them on his belt. _

"_Sir, can I go with you?" The man looked expectantly at the young CO. _

_Once upon a time, it had been his unit's task to keep the Elite members safe during their outside missions, always in the shadows, always undetected. Not so long ago, the young man looking back at him had been a child. _

_Alec glances at the blond operative who had asked the question, recognition flashing in his eyes for a brief moment as he remembers him as one of the oldest members of the SO squads. "It's not necessary, I'll be back soon." He replies easily as he walks out of the building and starts running in the direction of the warehouse. _

_The temperature had__ dropped during the night and a cool breeze was blowing. As he moves between the trees he can feel the wind on his face, the sky is covered by dark clouds and the crescent moon is the only witness to his advance_

The first thing he was aware of was the painful throbbing at the back of his head; taking a deep breath he made a mental checklist.

Injuries? None as far as he could tell – nothing felt broken, and aside from the killer headache he had there was nothing else.

Current location? Lying on some unknown surface - correct that - in some unknown location where the soil felt damp, muddy. His memory wasn't cooperating with him enough to provide details; it looked like he would have to wait until he opened his eyes.

Last conscious memory? Blood, crimson red stains on his hands. A voice, clear blue eyes looking concerned at him. Which one of them had been real?

He stayed still and blinked a couple of times in order to adjust to the scarce light and shadows surrounding him. Hazel irises finally opened and looked up to find a yellow crescent moon staring back at him.

_The whisper of a name, the image of a face…h__e had been running through a forest looking for her. _

This was the third time today that he had woken up disorientated and lying on the ground, somehow it seemed to be his preferred surface of the last hours. He turned his head to the right and noticed the lone figure perched cross legged on the debris of a concrete wall, the blond strands flew freely around her face as her gaze seemed to be locked on a distant point lost in the sky.

Not everything had been a dream; the girl looking at the sky was Claire.

He closed his eyes forcefully and opened them a second later. Claire was still in the same position. His first test had been successful; he had proved to himself that she wasn't a figment of his imagination. Once again his eyes wandered to the moon, so distant and yet seemingly so near. . . just like the truth, he could feel that he was getting close.

The last dream was a memory of his life. He recognized the place as the north outskirts of Dushanbe in Tajikistan. He remembered the small forest surrounding the warehouse; small details were slowly piecing themselves together making it easier for him to remember, it had been three years ago.

"How are you feeling, sir?" The voice brought him back from his thoughts and into the present. Alec tilted his head and watched the clear blue eyes looking concernedly down at him. For a second he felt disappointed, her eyes weren't the right shade of blue, though that made sense, she wasn't the girl he had been thinking about.

Slowly he sat up using both hands to keep himself relatively steady, the soil was muddy and he got a pretty good idea of the mess that his clothes and hair might be at the moment. He felt her gaze on him and remembered that she had asked him a question. "You really don't want me to answer, do you Claire?"

She jumped from her spot and walked towards him, sitting on the ground in front of him. "Actually, yes, I want to hear your answer, sir."

Hazel eyes lock onto hers and for a moment CeCe is reminded of the times when she had been on the receiving end of that glare. Just like in the old days, she could feel her blood freezing at the power and control his eyes projected. "How long?" his tone was hoarse as his eyes continued to bore into her.

The simplicity of the question caught her unprepared and her face betrayed her surprise. "What do you mean?"

He arched an eyebrow at her, a smirk slowly formed on his lips. "Forget the 'Sir' already, CeCe? Behavior like that doesn't suit you." His eyes harden again as he continues, "You should know exactly what I meant, how long have you been watching me? And who else is here?"

CeCe knew that Alec's reactions could be unpredictable; being able to read his emotions was a near impossible task. He only ever allowed anyone to see what he wanted, nothing more and nothing less.

"Almost two weeks." Alec might be a master when it came to mind games but this wasn't the first time she had confronted him. Straight answers were the key, if you hesitated he would use it to his advantage.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, still watching her warily. "You haven't answered the other question."

"Most of the time it was Neil, Biggs was here for a while but left a couple of days ago, May's been here a day and I arrived today…Sir." She watched and waited patiently for his reaction, Alec could have been testing her knowledge in order to prove her allegiance. In the state that he was in, his reasoning was a mystery to her – she would have to wait to see how this game of questions was going to evolve.

He stood up and watched the moon as he turned his back to her. "What the hell happened?" The rage in his voice was unmistakable and for a second CeCe was afraid that he would loose control again.

"Even now we're not sure of the details. The two of you took over a mission profiled for a SO team and disappeared after its completion. The GT's malfunctioned and we ended up sending search parties to opposite locations. . . With all of the chaos following the 5th disaster we lost vital time and thought that you were both dead. Two weeks later we resumed the search. It took us a while to find you." She held her breath, waiting for his reaction and expecting the worst. Her eyes watched carefully as the words sank in and his shoulders sagged.

CeCe's words only vaguely registered with him. A mission for a SO team? His mind searched for any kind of memory of it…a place, San Francisco. The image of the blood came back full force… so much blood, the images were disturbingly detailed. Almost as if he were afraid of the answer he tentatively asked, "Is she ok?"

CeCe sighed, she knew that her answer would not give him any peace of mind, but the truth was unavoidable. "We don't know for sure. We're still looking for her."

"I see." He turned around and CeCe took an involuntary step backward. His eyes looked empty, devoid of emotion. She felt like she was looking straight into a dead man's eyes.

Alec noticed the way she took a step back, the uneasiness of her movements, the fear radiating off of her. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that he had the right to be upset, it was his life that was a mess, it was him who had forgotten everything that mattered. And if being upset made other people afraid of him, well, then that was someone else's problem.

But he knew that it wasn't that simple.

The moment he became the CO of the Elite he had become responsible for them. He did have the right to be angered, maybe even to vent some of his frustration at her, but she wasn't responsible for the mess he found himself in. None of this was her fault, he was quite sure of that.

Two years of his life were gone, it was a fact that couldn't be changed no matter how much he screamed about it. He had better things to do now and finding out what had happened was his first priority.

Alec closed his eyes and took a deep breath hoping to calm the inner turmoil of his mind. _'Focus only on the things you can change'_. When he opened his eyes the mask he wore so often was securely back in place, his feelings buried underneath the façade for the sake of his lone witness.

His posture relaxed as he scratched idly at the back of his neck, a small smile grazed his lips as he looked back at CeCe. "I don't know about you Claire, but before we go hunting for my memories I need a shower and clean clothes."

A relieved smile lit up the blonde's face, "Your words are my command, sir."

"CeCe drop the sir, I barely remember my own life." He tried for levity as they walked back to where he had left the bike. He paused as a thought stuck him, "Wait a minute, wasn't Max here?"

The answer was preceded by giggle that made him turn around and shoot the blonde an incredulous look. "Let's just say that May took care of her and knowing May's methods Max will probably never remember this little episode."

"Go figure, Max got knocked on her ass and I missed it."

CeCe grinned, taking in the cute pout on his face; his eyes found hers and his expression sobered instantly. "By the way CeCe, don't think for a second that we're done with this conversation. I still want a full report on the current status of both the Committee and the Elite." His voice left no room for argument and she wondered exactly which divine being she had infuriated to end up with the worst part of the job despite the fact that she had been the last to join this mission.

"Of course, sir." She replied quietly, her tone resigned. There were things in life that were not negotiable, like having to debrief your Commanding Officer on the nearly two years worth of memories he was missing.

Alec's eyes darkened at the irony of the situation he found himself in. The good news was that he wasn't insane; all of his dreams had been real. All of his questions were about to be answered, he should be glad to finally be getting his life back.

But, a voice in the back of his mind whispered, sometimes the truth does not set you free.

* * *

_**Florence, Italy  
**__**Saturday 06:30 am**_

Maximus watched as fog swept across the city in the early hours of the morning. Last night he had given up on having dinner with Artemis after waiting for her for an hour; the fact that he might have been interested in spending time with the head of the Committee did not under any circumstance mean that he was that desperate for the chance to speak with her.

He wasn't. And he would have just as happily agreed to share breakfast at a more decent hour. Somehow, he still found himself waiting to meet with her in her private studio in the grey, early hours of the morning.

The doors finally opened and the reason for his short night's sleep strolled into the room looking fresh and shiny, as though she had been awake for a while. It was incredible the energy that Artemis had at this time of the day.

Raising his glass in a salute he waited until she sat in front of him to ask the reason for their early meeting. "Morning Artemis, care to share your reasoning for this?" Maximus motioned to the room pointedly.

"Thanks for joining me Maximus, I know that you're not an early riser by nature but I needed to talk to you about something before gathering the Committee." She replied applying butter to a slice of toast.

Maximus finished his fourth cup of coffee and wondered if he should get a fifth. "Then by all means, tell me what you found out."

"We were right in our assumptions, Malik was behind both events. We've gathered enough evidence to neutralize his contacts in the army and the Congress." Artemis' voice never faltered, never showed any kind of emotion.

Maximus' clear blue eyes fixed on her as he repeated his question, "But that's not the reason why you called me at two in the morning. . ."

Artemis sighed; Maximus would always be Maximus, always straight to the point. "We have a possible location."

A raised eyebrow from the man told her that she had his full attention. "What are you planning?" Maximus' tone was harsh, his voice quiet.

"Four SO teams to cauterize the location, Intel verified that security won't be an issue." She waited for the question that she knew would be coming once the man realized the full meaning of her words.

He surprises her by objecting first. "I don't agree. Malik will be more useful if he's preserved. What about Nyx? If you have proof that Malik was behind everything there's a good chance that he's aware of her location."

"If you want to stop the infection you isolate and kill the source. Keeping him alive will only make him a hero." Artemis was well aware of the price she might have to pay for killing Malik, if Nyx was still alive then the man was indeed their best chance of finding her, but she was equally sure that this was an opportunity that was not going to repeat itself.

"And you don't think killing him will produce the same result? Artemis, both of us know that this situation has been prolonged far too long already, killing Malik isn't going to solve our problems. Are you willing to sacrifice Nyx's life in exchange for his?" The German member of the Committee watched his old friend closely, waiting for her reply.

Green eyes hardened as she glared back at him, "I'm willing to sacrifice whatever it takes in order to stop that man."

Maximus sighed tiredly; Artemis wasn't going to back down on this matter and it saddened him deeply. The Elite shouldn't be sacrificed to correct their predecessor's mistakes. "Nyx was the SIC of the Elite and one of the most powerful among the D1, you'll be risking a lot."

"Hades' recovery is progressing on schedule, we haven't been able to find her, and she might be dead for all we know."

Maximus swallowed his rage at her callousness and opted to point another flaw in her plan, hoping that reason might still diffuse this situation. "If Hades gets his memory back there's a good chance that he'll come for answers. What are you going to tell him this time, Artemis?"

"I'll deal with that when, _if_, that moment comes." She replied calmly glaring heatedly at Maximus, she hadn't called him here so he could send her on a guilt trip.

"You'll lose Hades if he finds out that you approved a mission compromising the safety of his SIC. In fact, you'd be risking all the Elite's loyalty." He continued as he stood and watched her from his full height.

Their silent battle of wills was maintained for a couple of seconds. Finally, Artemis nodded in his direction accepting the responsibility of it. "Hades will understand that I value the well being of his entire unit rather than only one person."

Maximus sighed loudly at the stubbornness of his friend, hoping desperately that the remaining members of the Committee refuse to approve her plan. "Artemis, think very carefully about this. Be prepared to accept the consequences. . . " He added quietly as he leaned against her and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

The doors closed with a soft thud, and she found herself alone. Maximus and her had been friends for so long that Artemis was more inclined to think of the German as her brother. He had made his position clear; during the Committee meeting she won't have his support. It hadn't angered or disappointed her; somehow she had seen it coming.

Unfortunately, it meant that she will have to convince Balthazar, Demos and Dike to approve her plan. Time was crucial, the decision couldn't be delayed any longer. She'll deal with the consequences later. After all, what's done is done, there's no turning back.

* * *

_**Seattle, Harbor Medical Light  
**__**Friday, **__**22:00 pm**_

The car stopped abruptly two blocks away from the hospital and a pair of incredulous gray eyes shoot to the redhead behind the wheel. "Any particular reason you decided to stop?"

Green eyes shone brightly as she smiled sweetly at him, however the icy tone of her voice made it clear that the smile was only for the people who might be watching. "There's always a reason Neil. It so happens that this time you can't be here when she wakes up. Now, be a good boy and get out."

Neil raised an eyebrow at the order, "What are you talking about? She's practically dead to the world."

"Not for long, I don't want to spend my evening babysitting a niner." She looked pointedly at him and then to the still closed door.

He pressed the lock down and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not moving. This is my car and it makes more sense if I'm the one who brings her for medical attention."

"Aren't you forgetting something? She already knows you, or at least she knows 'Tyler Scott,' who could be your twin; you'd be exposing your cover for nothing. I, on the other hand, have never had the pleasure of being introduced." May smiled pleasantly at him as she once more unlocked the doors.

Neil grunted in response, the fact that his crazy counterpart was right didn't mean that he had to like it, besides it looked like it was going to rain…again. "You're the reason she's unconscious. It was you who knocked her out in the forest." He added weakly.

May raised an eyebrow as if waiting for him to explain how that could be considered a bad thing, when he remained silent she sighed and replied in a soft voice, "Are you honestly telling me that you would have preferred that she witness Alec's pyrotechnics?" her tone went cold again as she continued "Besides, she was getting on my nerves – I like her better when she's out cold…she could be my best friend."

"Yeah, in an alternative universe where white fluffy bunnies are the rulers of the world." Neil muttered as he opened the door.

"Did you say something?" She asked as she checked her reflection in the rearview mirror.

Neil scowled at the sky and wondered why he kept asking to be assigned to missions with her. The woman was insane and colder than Finn when he was particularly upset. He was probably a masochist because a part of him enjoyed the time they spent together.

The first drop of water fell on his nose and he suppressed the urge to kick the door. He was worried about Alec's condition and CeCe's ability to handle him on her own; his patience was running low and while he admitted that May was merely providing a distraction for both of them, right now he was about to snap.

Taking a deep breath he looked back at her, "Nothing. By the way, I'm staying at your place tonight."

The redhead opened the passenger side window before asking. "Why?"

"Proximity and water issues." He replied easily. At her warning look he sighed and elaborated. "It's about to start pouring and your place is closer."

His gray eyes looked bigger than usual and his face suddenly reminded her of kid asking for more cookies.

"Fine, but it's the last time." she replied and rolled the window back up as forcefully, and meaningfully as she could, before starting the car and advancing in the direction of the hospital.

Neil grinned as he started to walk away. Actually, it would be the first time but he would let it go this time; after all, May only misspoke when she was annoyed. He should know, annoying May was one of his hobbies.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Inside the silent car, green eyes watched the rear mirror as the object of her frustration walked away with a contented expression. He had to use 'the look' she thought irritated. He had smiled innocently at her as his eyes got that lost puppy look May found so hard to resist. Neil was one of the closest people to her, the only male friend that she had, and one of the five people who could get anything from her with only a look.

Sometimes she wondered why he put up with all her crap. She wasn't an easy person to work with, she was well aware of her reputation as a cold hearted bitch, in fact, she encouraged it. Her decisions were based on facts and logic, she avoided feelings because they were an interference, people led by emotion always ended up in chaos. Today's events were a proof of it, she let her feelings rule her actions and had ended up compromising Alec's well-being.

As the car drew closer to the hospital she went back to thinking about what had been on her mind since she saw him in the forest. Alec. How was he doing? How was CeCe doing? There was an old saying about news, no news is good news. May sighed and glanced at the prone body on the backseat, it was time for the wake up call.

Taking a small vial from her bag she pressed it into Max's arm. The needle went through the fabric of her jacket and delivered the chemicals to her blood.

She stopped the car and rushed inside the hospital requesting help for the unconscious girl in her car.

A male doctor and an overeager nurse rushed to keep up with her as she kept up her frantic, concerned act. As they placed the unconscious brunette on a stretcher and wheeled her into the hospital May followed closely and used the sound of her heels hitting the floor to count the seconds before the X5 woke up, 5, 4, 3, 2, and…

"What? Where am I?" Brown eyes squinted in the bright white light of the hospital and May smiled inwardly, her calculations had been perfect. With the X5 groggy and suffering only a headache she knew that there was no risk of exposure. Her job was done, or at least she had thought so.

"Max?" May looked up, surprised to find a middle age female doctor standing by the door of the examination room.

The nurse smiled at the new comer, "Doctor Shankar, do you know the patient's name?"

"Yes, I'll take care of her Sue, go on and take your break." Answered the female Doctor.

May watched, fascinated by the exchange, how exactly did the doctor know an X5?

"I'm sorry are you with Max?" the doctor's question made May realize that she had been staring at them in silence.

"I brought her here; she was lying unconscious by the side of the highway. As far as I could tell she had a mild concussion."

Beverly Shankar looked at the way the young girl held herself, her clothes giving away her status as the rich kid playing Good Samaritan. There was no chance that this girl had any idea that she had helped a girl considered by most people to be nothing more than a science project of the government that taking a simple blood test would cause all hell to break loose. "Well thanks for bringing her here, I'm Doctor Beverly Shankar."

"Elizabeth DuPont, it's nice meeting you, though it would have been better under different circumstances."

May smiled as she shook the woman's hand, this encounter might still prove useful. The good doctor had been staring at her assessingly as she discreetly removed the orders for blood tests written by the first doctor that had originally been treating the now fully conscious girl. May found it extremely interesting that Doctor Shankar seemed to be aware of 452's X5 nature.

"What am I doing here?" Max groaned clutching her head, the headache was killing her. She looked in Doctor Shankar's direction but it was the foreign girl with the reddish hair who answered.

"I believe that's my fault. I found you…" May's voice recounted the same story she had told earlier, adding some detail to make it credible.

In the end, she kept Max's company until Logan Cale came to pick her up. By the time May was back in her car she was sporting a satisfied smile. Her little good Samaritan performance had provided her with the means to finally meet the notorious X5 who had set fire to Manticore's facilities.

She had lied to Neil earlier, she had hit Max for three specific reasons; the first was to keep Alec's power a secret, the second was because that little Nero act of hers had cost them months of hard work, and the third. . . was because she was _really _annoying. Payback was a bitch.

_**Alec's apartment  
**__**Friday, **__**23.15 pm**_

CeCe sat in front of the window mesmerized by the rain falling on the city. Wrapped in one of Alec's sweaters she felt warm and cozy, the fading smell of cologne still present mixed with something that was distinctly Alec. Two years had done nothing but increase the magnetism of the Elite's CO.

Alec was the kind of man a girl never gets tired of looking at. . . or touching, she added smiling to herself. All of the transgenic were physically attractive there was no denying that, but some of them had something extra, something that not only attracted but enthralled the people around them. Alec had that something extra.

Ever since he was a kid, the boy had meant trouble for the female population. There was no limit to age, race, or language; she'd never met a girl or woman able to resist Alec's charm besides Nicole. The brunette was much more than his SIC, and their mutual respect and loyalty amazed CeCe.

The Elite members forged their strongest bonds when they were still children, all of them were part of a team but inside that team every one had someone special to talk to about their fears, their dreams and their doubts. When life revolved around training and missions friendship allowed them a glimpse of a different life; it was inevitable that doubts and questions will arise in a person's mind, and originally their friendships had evolved from coping mechanisms meant to deal with the constant stress they were under, gradually those shallow interactions had deepened into relationships that were more deeper and more meaningful than could ever be explained.

For the D1 members things were even more difficult, their position placed higher expectations on them and, as such, the four D1 members were generally even closer than the other Elites. As the Commanding Officer, Alec felt the pressure more than anyone else and it was Nicole who had offered him support, his connection. Seeing the pair as they sat on a rooftop was not an odd event, she had learned to respect his need for silence and he acknowledged her need for open spaces, they created balance in each other.

Sighing softly CeCe watched the drops that continuously hit the glass of the window, thin trails of water forming as gravity pulled the water down to the earth.

A smile formed on her lips as she watched the rain, Alec was alive and on his way back to where he belonged. For the first time in all these months she felt that things were going to be okay.

The sound of the shower running told her that there was still some time to order her thoughts, once he walked back into the room the real conversation would start.

CeCe was still trying to decide on the best approach; she had been so deep in thought that she missed the footsteps behind her and nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"You didn't hear me coming?" His tone was amused as he moved to stand next to the window.

"I just lost myself in the rain." She replied quietly.

He raised an eyebrow before adding, "After you see it everyday it loses its charm."

"I don't think anyone else will enjoy it unless it's their element." She relaxed a little, however the feeling was short lived as he sat on the run down sofa in front of her.

"Interesting, but we're not here to talk about the rain, right CeCe?"

"You wanted an update."

"Yep, so what's been happening?"

"The attack on the 5th Division Headquarters in Germany happened four hours before we got confirmation of your disappearance. Five Committee members were among the casualties…" CeCe's voice never wavered as she relayed the happenings of the past months.

Alec found his attention drifting away from CeCe's voice; he could still hear her in the distance and forced his head to nod in her direction. The images formed in his mind as found himself running through a forest, small snowflakes starting to fall. . .

_He __could hear the gunshots way before he neared the warehouse. By the time he arrived, the staccato sound of gunfire had been replaced by the duller, muted sounds of flesh hitting flesh. _

_Alec raises an eyebrow at the body laying by the entrance, as he walks inside he has to admit that the whole place has Nicole's signature. As he advances through the warehouse he starts noticing that the bodies are more battered, the injuries deeper, blood now covering the lifeless corpses. A feeling of dread starts to creep through his body._

_His steps a__re silent as he ghosts through the corridors. A bulky, tall man materializes in front of him, one of his eyes swollen closed and blood glistening on his chest. Alec recognizes the injury as a gunshot, though the man seems to be oblivious to his condition as he starts shooting wildly._

_Alec's __speed gives him the advantage and he dodges the projectiles easily; jumping on air as he shoot down at the man, hitting him between the eyes and watching the corpse slump to the ground. He moves the body as he takes out a metallic bar that looks like a flashlight. He directs the blue light from the device over the man's head and neck. _

_A loud 'crack' makes him look up just in time to dodge the bullet that been directed at his head, two more men had appeared. His current position offers no cover, and Alec blurs behind some crates, a bullet grazing his cheek as he feels the heat on his skin left by the passing bullet. _

"_Start working on the scan image I just send. I need the exact location of the nanochip". His voice was clear on the comm. unit as the sound of bullets indicated yet another player joining their party._

_He would have to give it to Bocci, his new toy was performing as expected; but, it wasn't designed to be a challenge to them._

Alec blinked a couple of times. It was the first time that his memories continued from where they left once he woke up. His attention was once again centered on the blonde girl in front of him, he would think about those memories later, preferably alone.

CeCe had decided to focus on the wall in front of her rather than look at him, though his lack of reaction when she had finished her report caused her to turn to face him again. Hazel was no longer present in his eyes, instead a light teal color had taken its place, cold, detached, just like Nicole's eyes after that mission.

"I think that's all of the highlights from the time you were missing." She added, unsure of what was going on inside of his head.

"Five Committee members died during an attack on one of our bases and more than a year later we still don't have any information about it?" Alec asked absently, the pieces simply didn't fit together. Prometheus was a complex and extremely organized entity with limitless resources and the ability to make possible the impossible, no matter the cost. How could something as serious as an attack on one of their Division Headquarters still be unsolved? It didn't make sense at all, ineptitude was not tolerated within Prometheus and the only other conclusion he could draw was that someone didn't want them to know the truth.

"Preliminary investigations confirmed the involvement of a military group linked to Manticore." She replied.

Alec snorted at the naïve comment, that couldn't possible be all. If Manticore had been the main actor in this play, he wouldn't be alive. Dissected and displayed for observation maybe, but never alive and functional.

He still needed the rest of his memories, but he was certain that Manticore hadn't been aware of his identity or rank, if they had known that he was not only part of the Elite but the CO they wouldn't have placed him among the X5's. No, they hadn't known that piece of information, but they knew he was part of Prometheus.

"You don't think it's possible?" CeCe asked raising an eyebrow at him. The Committee had been confident in the results of the investigation; however, Alec seemed to have a different opinion.

"What I think right now is irrelevant. I need to find out what happened, then we'll know who's right." He could feel that he was close to the truth, to the events that brought him to this day.

Blue eyes focused on him as she bit down on her lower lip. "But you do have a different theory."

"Of course." His lips curved in a sly smile.

"Are you planning on telling me?" She asked grinning.

Alec looked at the clock over his coffee table, 04:35 am. "Try to get some rest CeCe. We're going to San Francisco first thing tomorrow." He replied absently as he guided her toward his bedroom. He picked up one of the pillows and a blanket and walked back towards the door.

"You know I don't sleep that much." She protested.

"My place, my rules." He replied as he shut the door behind him.

CeCe stared at the closed door, as smile graced her lips. That was a typical Alec reply, completely ignoring the question or argument from the other person. She sank onto the bed and took the cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans. The sun would be rising soon; at least she could book them a flight.

* * *

_**May's apartment  
**__**Saturday 06:0**__**4 am**_

"We need the files on Cale's computer"

May wondered why Neil's voice has sounded so near and why it was so loud. Opening a single brave eye in order to investigate where the offensive sound had come from she found her male counterpart sitting on the empty half of her bed.

"What are you doing here?" her words got muffled by a yawn.

He smirked at her and raised his coffee mug in a cheers motion, "We need to recover the files from Logan Cale's computer."

"I heard you the first time. I'm just wondering why you thought that was a good enough reason to be waking me up at. . . 6:05 am? Aghh, I'm going to kill you." She made no attempt to hide her irritation as the last vestiges of sleep wore out of her.

Neil ignored the typical reaction, after all these years he was used to her morning grumpiness. "CeCe called, she and Alec are going to San Francisco."

A perfectly raised eyebrow gave her face a serious look that contrasted with the rest of her disheveled appearance. "Without backup?"

"Not this time."

"How is he?" Despite the detached tone of her voice when she asked the question, Neil knew that May was dying to know about Alec's progress.

"He's back to his usual inscrutable self. It's slowly driving CeCe up a wall." Neil smirked at that thought.

"I see…" If the insensitive man who woke her up at such an ungodly hour wanted her help, he better be willing to part with his coffee. Knowing Neil, if she asked politely he would refuse, and since she really wasn't in the mood for a fight right now, she opted to just snatch the mug away from him instead.

Neil watched amused as the redheaded mess sitting on the bed drank his coffee. Seconds later she smiled brightly at him and placed the empty mug back in his hands.

"So when are we going to get those files?"

* * *

_**Foggle Towers  
**__**Saturday 06:15**__** am**_

Max could feel the bright light shining through her closed eyelids. Trying to block the light, she moved her arm over her head only to feel something soft brush against her skin. Her subconscious found the soft texture odd – her sheets certainly didn't feel like that, where was she?

As she opened her eyes she recognized the paintings on the wall and the owner of the place who was currently sprawled in an awkward position on a sofa. She was at Logan's.

Slowly she started to piece together the events from the last night. After being in a foul mood all day she had decided that she needed to go back to the place where everything had started. She had gone to Manticore's ruins and found Alec already there. His behavior had been stranger than usual and he hadn't been pleased to see her. She hadn't made it easy for him either and they had started to argue.

She remembered how the atmosphere around them had changed and suddenly the air in the middle of the forest had become warmer. The events after that were unclear, Alec's eyes were golden and his breathing was harsher . . . the hit came unexpectedly before everything went black.

Her next memory had been when she woke up at Harbor Hospital surrounded by Beverly Shankar and a redheaded girl who introduced herself as the one responsible for bringing her there. There had been something about that girl, she felt as if it wasn't the first time she had seen her, maybe it was the color of her hair…

Alec.

She needed to talk with him. Max knew he was involved in something serious. Too many questions were left unanswered and she wasn't about to keep waiting for him to open up to her.

"You're awake." Logan's voice was hoarse and she suspected that his late-night vigil had a lot to do with it.

"Yeah, I just woke up. You should have let me sleep in the guest room."

Logan could have let her use the guest room, but he hadn't wanted to. He could feel the distance between Max and him growing with every passing day, for every step forward; there were five steps backwards. If there were any chance of them getting back together he was not going to waste it, even if it started with something as small as having her sleeping in his bed.

"No sense in that. Stay here, I'll fix your breakfast." He replied, satisfied with the scene he was currently living.

Max watched his pleased expression wearily. There was a feeling of déjà vu, of the old times when she used to spend most of her nights at his place having dinner or listening to his stories about the good guys and Eyes Only's crusade against the bad guys. Some days she really missed that, but they couldn't go back no matter how much they both might want to. Before, she hadn't touched him because she had been unsure of her own feelings, now a single brush of her hand could cause his death.

Leaving the comfort of the bed she walked toward the kitchen and found the infamous Eyes Only deeply absorbed in making pancakes.

"I need to call OC." She stated, taking the phone and starting to dial her friend's number.

Logan raised his eyes from the pan. "It's okay, I talked to her last night."

Her expression clearly showed her confusion about when he could have possibly called her friend.

"It was after you fell asleep. Max, what happened?" he asked concerned.

"I'm not sure, but I know who has the answers. We have to find Alec." She replied as she remembered his golden eyes; they had stared but not looked at her, as if he had been in a trance.

Logan grimaced as he noticed that she had that look, the same look she had when they decided to attack Manticore. Whatever it was that had happened yesterday; Max was taking it personally and apparently wasn't interested in sharing until she confronted her nemesis in person.

Not really interested in fueling her temper Logan decided to go with a peace offering. "Okay, we'll go. Breakfast first?"

Max's stomach grumbled at the sight of the tower of pancake smothered with maple syrup. She checked the clock on the wall, 7:00 am; they might have time for this.

* * *

_It wasn't supposed to end like this, they were supposed to be stronger __and faster than their enemies; they were supposed to win._

_He watches__ as his team is slaughtered by them. Two figures dressed in black that appeared from nowhere and wrought a devastation he had never seen before. In the last five minutes he had seen as his comrades choke to death or burn to ashes. It wasn't supposed to be like this._

_Red flames curl around his body, the heat is unbearable and he can feel the fire destroy__ layers of skin at an amazing speed. He can't feel the pain, so there is no distraction from the horror of seeing his skin blacken and flake from his fingers, the sensation of his blood starting to boil; the last image he sees is of the man dressed in black holding a flame in his palm. _

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_Alec __sweeps his eyes across the place dispassionately; none of the hostiles were left alive._ _His arm had been broken in three different parts, but right now the pain is distant; the coppery taste of the blood in his mouth is ignored along with the memory of how it got there. None of those things are important at the moment, nothing is important but the figure standing ten feet away from him._

_She watche__s him with a mixture of annoyance and guilt, her injured abdomen bleeding profusely and her breathing becoming more labored with every passing second. She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was beyond anger. She was also quite aware that she was the reason for his current state. _

"_What the hell were you thinking?" Alec realized that his voice was gravelly, probably thanks to the heat from his recreation of Dante's Inferno only minutes ago. With every step he takes in her direction he fights the urge to strangle her._

_Light cobalt blue eyes stare back at him, unaffected by his display of rage. __"I was quite capable of taking care of the situation."_

_He grits his teeth and takes__ another step forward, "I told you to wait for reinforcements before engaging."_

_Her eyes bec__ome glassy for a second; she fights down the sickness and the lightheadedness as she meets his gaze. "The SO team was no match for them; if I'd waited the hostage would be dead now. We both know that's not acceptable."_

_He continue__s his advance in silence, eyes glimmering with golden flecks; the intensity of his stare meeting the quiet resolve in her eyes. It's a duel of willpower between two predators._

_Her eyes a__re flashing so many emotions, anger, frustration, fear, concern and something else he can't recognize, seeing her standing there with her hands stained with her own blood is making him sick. He hates to see her like this, vulnerable, hurt. _

_He'__s finally in front of her and as he takes another step forward she moves backward, her back hitting the wall. For a second he felt satisfied by her instinctive reaction, even if it had been unconscious. He was furious at her, not only did she get herself hurt but she also disobeyed his orders._

_He grabs__ the arm that she was using to keep pressure on her wound and raises it away from her body, inspecting the wound he feels some small measure of relief, it's a clean cut. He rips the arm of her shirt and uses it as a bandage. _

_He turns around and does__n't look back. "Let's go." _

"_Yes, Sir." She replies in the same flat tone he gave her. They move in silence through the now empty warehouse. Hidden between the walls and crates a red light blinks as the two masked people completely dressed in black make their way out of the devastated place._

_**Alec's Apartment  
**__**Saturday 06:15**__** am**_

He stood under the cold water trying to put his thoughts into some kind of order. There had to be a reason for this recurring memory, it kept starting from where it left and it felt like watching a movie where he was the main character.

It was impossible for him to add more details while he was fully conscious, the events eluded him and he was forced to wait until he either fell sleep or entered one of those trances. Something else had happened there, something important that he needed to remember.

Turning off the shower he grabbed a towel and tied it around his waist. His memories will have to wait; right now he has to get dressed and ready for their flight. Walking out of the bathroom he finds CeCe in front of the kitchen and glaring at the stove as if it had committed a crime.

Stalking silently behind the girl he stole a glance over her shoulder and laughed when he saw what the problem was.

CeCe felt the voice and presence behind her and reacted on instinct shoving her elbow against her attacker's stomach as she spun around to face the threat. However, her arm was stopped midair and held behind her back as a body blocked her movements.

"Easy Claire. I swear I wasn't going to do anything." Alec's voice sounded behind her and she cursed her lack of awareness and her inability to prepare anything edible using a stove.

"I'm sorry Sir, I wasn't paying attention." She replied as he released her arm and moved away.

The half naked man laughed at the look on her face as she watched mesmerized the way the water was still dripping down his body. He moved closer to the stove and raised the black pan containing what he suspected had once been eggs but now were a jellied white substance covered with a brown powder.

"Morning CeCe…for the sake of my health and yours, we better get breakfast at the airport" he seemed to be amused at both the failed breakfast attempt and her annoyance.

"I just thought it would have been good to eat something before we go."

"There's a good reason why there're so many Starbucks in the world CeCe, God doesn't want to kill us all with food poisoning." He laughed at her offended expression as he sauntered back to his room in search of clothes.

CeCe watched him go and smiled despite herself. He seemed to be doing better. Checking her watch she realized they had less than an hour to get to the terminal. Dropping both the frying pan and its contents into the trash can she walked toward the living room. Knowing Alec, he'll be ready in less than five minutes looking like he walked out of a magazine.

_**Business District  
**__**Saturday 07:15**__** am**_

A girl sat on the balcony of the 24th floor as her eyes tracked the couple in the penthouse across from her building as they finished their breakfast and started to clear the table.

"Who's going to Cale's?" Neil's voice made her turn around in order to glare at her partner in crime.

Green eyes shone defiantly as she answered coldly, "The answer is obvious. You're going."

Gray eyes glared back with the same intensity and he didn't move from his position on the couch. "And when did we decide that?"

"We didn't, I did. I'm going to make sure they stay away from the place, something you can't do because you have interacted with 'Max' before"

Neil glared at May as he raised an eyebrow, "So have you."

The redhead nodded at his observation. "Yes, I have. But I've got two good reasons; one, she was dazed and two, I really don't care about her. You, on the other hand, seem to be more attached to her and her well being."

"Where did you get that?" he asked, amused at her accurate perception. The 'Max' he met at the embassy was someone fun and easy to get along with, but he had no clue if that was the real 'Max'. After all, he had also been playing a part that night.

May didn't turn around to answer him. "Simple observation."

"I'm not going to win this, am I?" He asked defeated.

A big smile was included with the answer he got. "Sometimes, you're a pretty bright guy."

_**Seattle's **__**JT Wilson Private Airstrip  
**__**07:30 am**_

Alec and CeCe took their seats on the small plane and prepared themselves for the short trip. After his insistence on taking the first flight available, CeCe had chosen a small private airline.

He sat by the window and watched in silence as the city underneath became a group of small dots. The white clouds enveloped them and seconds later a blue sky was visible from the window.

The peaceful view relaxed him to the point of falling asleep less than ten minutes after takeoff.

_The return to the 9__th__ Division Head Quarters had been eerily silent as both Elites sat on opposite sides of the van. The SO members had tended their injuries, Alec's arm required medical assistance to be set properly, and Nicole had needed a transfusion and stitches._

_Less then an hour __later, their injuries had been treated. He had been released but she needed to stay in the medical ward until her transfusion was complete. _

_Back in his office, Alec finds himself unable to concentrate; he can't even bring himself to finish the mission report. Today he learned to hate the snow, today he realized that maybe there was something else about her. _

_He had been so furious at her, and as he st__alked through the forest fuming he had realized that he couldn't feel her presence anymore. When he had turned around he found her collapsed in the snow, unconscious, her blood painting the fresh snow red._

_Looking for a secluded place he ended up on the rooftop of the main building, it was the perfect place to avoid people and enjoy the silence. _

_Nicole sighs__ loudly as she reaches the last step and quietly opens the access door to the rooftop. Of all the places he could have gone, he had chosen the one with the longest staircase. Her stitches are stinging and she forces herself not to scratch at them._

_The whole situation i__s stupid; they aren't kids anymore, they don't need to avoid each other like this, and she isn't going to keep playing this game any longer. He has good reasons to be upset about her behavior so either he can scream at her and let go of whatever else it is that's bothering him or get over it and stop acting like a five year old._

_The soft scent of vanilla lets him know that she's there; it is, after all, her trademark._

"_Alec, about earlier. . ."__ she starts as she moves next to him._

"_Save it.__ Just tell me what the hell you were thinking." Hazel irises were once again covered in golden flecks that seem to hypnotize her. _

"_I was thinking that I was able to get the hostage out alive and that it was in my hands. I had the choice to save the hostage and maybe avoid losing more of our people." Her voice is flat and she keeps her eyes down, she's well aware of the fact that she had disobeyed his command._

"_You were bleeding. You __passed out twice on the way to the egress point and then again in the van." His tone is annoyed, though he tries to hide the fact that most of his annoyance stems from her tendency to overlook her own well being._

_She __turns in his direction, forcing him to look her in the eye, her cobalt blue eyes meeting his gold flecked hazel without blinking. "That happens when you loose blood."_

_His scowl deepens as he moves in front of her, pressing his body closer to hers. "Damn it Nicole, you could have gotten yourself killed."_

"_I know what I'm doing; in case you've forgotten, we do have the same training." She was getting pissed off by his condescending attitude, with his assumptions about how she had been injured in the first place. She was more than capable of dealing with a few thugs like those, she had done it before. _

_The reason she had been injured had been his sudden appearance; she had placed herself between the knife and his back and gotten herself stabbed. As his Second In Command it was her duty to protect him and she had never hesitated in doing it. Still, part of the blame was hers, if she hadn't have rushed to the site he wouldn't have come looking for her. Maybe she should start following his orders._

"_That's not the point." He was getting frustrated, why was it so hard to make her understand that he hated to see her like that, he didn't want her to sacrifice herself for him. _

"_Alec, I'm perfectly fine…" 'I'm always right'__. He knew the words by heart, and it wouldn't have been the first time he heard her use them; he had come to hate that damn phrase. She wasn't okay and he wasn't either. For the last month they had been ready to kill each other on a daily basis, and this mission was only the latest in a long list of similar occurrences. _

_His temper got the best of him as he pushed her against the wall. The sudden movement surprise__s her and by the time she tries to react she's pinned to the wall with an enraged Alpha breathing on her lips. _

"_Don't say it again." His lips move over hers as he speaks and she can't help the way her eyes follow the expressions on his face, the furrowed brow that gives him that fiery expression, the way his hazel eyes reflect the light._

"_What are you doing?" The words were nothing more than a whisper as the distance between them disappears. He can taste the flavor of her lip-gloss as she asks the question, and he's still searching for an answer._

"_I don't want to see you die." His lips move closer to her ear as he caresses the side of her face to get better access. The moment his lips touch her skin he gets his answer, he's finally accepting something he had suspected for a while now. Her skin felt like velvet, soft and addictive, pushing his senses into overdrive._

_Her hand forces him to look into her eyes, light blue as the oceans threatening to drown him and he's willing let it happen if it means that he would get to be with her._

"_I'm not dead." The words are hushed and this time it's her who starts the kiss, soft lips moving against his and the world disappearing somewhere into the background. The only thing that matters is the fact that he finally feels at home. _

_Minutes later both of them co__me up for air, his left arm has been immobilized and the only thing he can do with it is caress her hair. His other hand rests on her hip and he realizes that she's loss weight. _

"_This is…"__ she starts as her brain futilely tries to string a thought together._

_He grins at __her confused expression, "Insane?"_

"_Pretty much." She agrees__ but does nothing to move away; he's relived for that._

_It's too early to express in words all the things both of them are feeling. Uncharted emotions on a path that is new and strange, relationships were not one of the subjects they had been taught and none of them had been particularly interested in learning about it until now. _

He wasn't sleeping; he hadn't been sleeping for the last thirty minutes. He kept his eyes closed as he remembered the way her lips felt against his. The shine of her eyes as she laughed at him. Suddenly, all the memories started to make more sense. The fingers tracing his tattoo were hers; the memory of the apartment, not a mission – it had been his place in London.

All this time he had been remembering things that were connected one way or another with her. Nicole.

'_Where are you?'_

He kept his eyes closed, and listened as the flight attendants informed CeCe that they would be landing in minutes.

'_I'm going to find you.'_

* * *

_**Alec's Apartment  
**__**Saturday, **__**09:15 am**_

May had been following Max and Logan since they left his apartment and twenty minutes later they arrived at Alec's place. The knocks and shouts hadn't received answers and Max had decided to let herself in, the Elite watched as the pair walked around the empty apartment and maintained her position. If they didn't find anything that she might consider important she would not make a move, it was as simple as that.

But life was anything but simple.

Max was in the bedroom and had started to rifle through the drawers, she found a carved wooden box in his shirt drawer. The delicate design of the box stood out as something that couldn't belong to a guy like Alec. The carving seemed to be old, as if the box were a part of some kind of antique collection.

"I found something." Max called out waiting for Logan to join her in the room.

The voice that replied did not come from the hacker, but an accented woman. "Has no one ever told you that stealing is bad?"

Spinning quickly in the direction of the voice, she took a defensive stance. Her mind clicked as she recognized the woman standing in front of her. "You're the girl from yesterday"

May smirked at the phrase, "That sounds so cliché"

Logan had found himself staring at the barrel of a gun while he was in the kitchen. The green eyes of the girl had looked amused by his expression as she moved him in the direction of the bedroom. There seemed to be no connection between the stranger from the hospital and Alec, he had a feeling that whatever it was, it would be big. He asked without expecting a reply, "What are you doing here?"

May grinned as if the situation was indeed quite amusing. "Didn't I tell you yesterday? I work for a security company in my spare time; you're on private property please leave the premises."

Max bristled, her defensive stance shifting towards aggressive as she replied, "We're not leaving."

May showed her the Beretta before again placing it behind Logan's back. "If you don't understand English we can try in a different language, which one you understand? Last call 452, leave now."

Max blurred at May's position in an attempt to disarm her but May reacted faster and twisted Logan's arm as she kept the gun pressed up against him. "You can't beat me, so do me a favor and don't try."

"You're X5." It wasn't a question, merely a blunt statement as Max realized that the girl was probably the right age to be an X5.

May rose an eyebrow at the comment, "Kind of, close but not really. Rest assured _Max_, we aren't related."

"You have to be an X5 to move like that." Logan argued as he felt the pressure leave his arm.

"I'm not here to answer your questions, leave now and everybody can be happy." May was clearly bored by the exchange.

But Max was not one to take orders; she was still holding the box and proceeded to drop its content to the floor. Her eyes widened as she recognized Alec in the pictures. . . With a girl.

"You know, that was a very stupid move. . ."

_To be continued_

**AN:** Got 2 minutes? Leave a review, you know you want to :)


	14. Faux Mouvement

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter, and thanks to Jenna, who helped once again as the beta for the story.  
Back on the story, we left Alec and CeCe leaving for San Francisco and May and Max in the beginning of a not so civil conversation, all of that during a normal Saturday morning…

* * *

_**Chapter 13  
Faux Mouvement**_

"Can I ask you a question?" the blond girl sitting by his side asked quietly. The raised eyebrow he offered was enough of a response for her to take a deep breath and continue.

"I read the reports about you and 452. I know it's none of my business but I don't understand why…"

Well, he had to give her credit for waiting as long as she had. But even if she'd waited longer than he'd expected her to, even if he'd known it was coming, he had hoped it wouldn't be so soon. Wishful thinking on his part, and this time his wish hadn't been granted.

Realistically, he'd known this was coming, ever since he'd accepted that his dreams were memories. He'd known that sooner or later his past and his present would collide, and that he'd be stuck dealing with the consequences.

Sparing a glance to his side he realized that she hadn't finished the question, the words were left unspoken, though both of them knew exactly what she was trying to say. Alec knew that delaying the inevitable wasn't going to work, it'd have to be done sooner or later and it might be better for him to start now, "Why do I let her treat me like that? Like a screw up, useless in every sense of the word?"

CeCe blushed slightly as he voiced her question with a rather colorful description, and to think she'd been worried about phrasing the question delicately. She seemed to have forgotten who the man sitting next to her was. Alec had never fooled around the bush before, and apparently he wasn't about to start now; regardless of whether the subject was his preference or not, when something needed to be said he always dealt with it.

His eyes were locked on the clouds as his left hand rubbed the back of his neck absently; his fingers searching for something that used to be but was no longer there. The momentary distraction gave him the seconds he needed to organize his thoughts. He wasn't perfect; he'd learned and accepted that truth a long time ago. He could make mistakes and wrong decisions just like anyone else; though he liked to believe that he learned from those instances and accepted the experience he gained from them. He had never been ashamed of any of his choices, or by any of his mistakes, until now.

Getting his memories back had also given him back the missing parts of himself, the values that had guided him, the honor that made him different from the rest, and every memory that resurfaced only reinforced those beliefs. The man who'd lived in Seattle all this time was him but at the same time _not_; Alec McDowell was a side of him, a side of him that had different values, different needs, different thoughts. In a way, McDowell was a complete stranger.

Maybe that was the reason he felt distressed by it. Now, with a larger part of his memory back he felt something he never felt before, he felt ashamed of himself. He would have never thought that he could be capable of the things that McDowell had done; the notion that he had crossed a line without even realizing it left him feeling unnerved and off balance. There could be a hundred of reasons to justify his behavior but they wouldn't change the fact the time had come to accept the responsibility for his actions.

"A couple of weeks after Manticore burned down the NSA caught me and planted a bomb at the base of my skull. I made a deal, I'd kill three transgenics in 24 hours and they'd disarm the bomb. They demanded proof of purchase, I had to bring them the barcodes. . .

I killed one, it didn't look human and it wasn't that hard. Then I found a kid, he was barely a teenager, I knocked him out and cut his barcode off. I couldn't kill him but it didn't stop me from using his trust to hurt him. I was running out of time and I still needed one more, when I ran into Max. She was looking for Joshua, a low level canine transgenic friend of hers, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to solve my problem. That's when I found out that Josh doesn't _have _a barcode. I was gonna kill Max. . . But I couldn't.

She saved my life when she didn't have to. I'd tried to kill her and she still chose to save me. And it cost her her long term happiness. I chose not to kill her but it was her choice to save me, I own her." He paused to take a breath, tried to collect his jumbled thoughts.

"We're not friends, we never will be. But she has her reasons for disliking me with the intensity that she does, so I let her do it. Call it penance if you want."

"We've all done things that we regret. You won't be able to move forward unless you let it go. You didn't kill the boy and you didn't kill Max. You said those were your choices too and you chose not to do it." CeCe observed.

Four days ago he hadn't wanted to move forward without having given Max everything she'd given up when she'd saved him. He'd felt the need to settle his debts before leaving the city to find whatever it was that was missing in his life.

Now, barely four days later, and everything's changed. Things had finally started to make sense, though it was hard to be happy about finding out that he'd lost two years of his life living an imitation life that wasn't his own. Nothing had been real, not even him. He was thinking about everything that had happened in the last couple days when he realized that he'd been missing the obvious, Max's cure was already in his hands.

CeCe watched as Alec went silent, lost in thought. It was hard to imagine Alec doing what he said he'd done; it was probably even harder for him to acknowledge it, the behavior he was describing was completely contrary to his own values.

"Is May still around?" his question caused her raise a curious eyebrow.

"Yes Sir. She and Neil are still in Seattle." She answered carefully as their plane started to descend.

"If it doesn't conflict with her current assignment, I want her to analyze a virus. She'll need blood samples from 452 and Cale. Max has a virus targeted to Cale's DNA. I'm sure May won't have much trouble with it." His voice had adopted his old Commander's tone and CeCe couldn't help but smile as Alec slowly started to resemble his old self.

May probably wouldn't be as excited by the progress once she heard the specifics of the request. The blonde's smile turned into a full grin as she punched in May's number.

* * *

_**Alec's Apartment  
Saturday, 09:25 am**_

It had been stupidly irrational. She never allowed herself to be that kind of person, the kind whose feelings dictated their actions.

A mocking voice in her head whispered in sweet voice that she obviously didn't know herself that well.

All of them had learned from the very beginning the importance of balance, the significance of having control over their emotions and never allowing them to influence decisions. Until now, her life had been ruled by logic, dictated by facts; she'd never wasted her time with nonsensical emotion or foolish sentimentality. Emotions were unpredictable, uncontrollable and, in most cases, triggered reckless behavior in all the involved parties. Common sense was lost, logic was forgotten and balance unreachable.

And she had been right! Her current situation was a perfect example of it.

This was the second time in less than two days that she'd acted on instinct instead of logic. This whole situation could have been avoided if she'd just acted as she usually did. She could have followed them and retrieved the pictures without blowing her cover, if only she would have controlled herself. . .

'_What's wrong with me?' _Her green eyes glared at the other two occupants of the room; her cold stare never reflecting the inner battle of her mind.

There was no logic to her actions, and if there ever had been, it had evaporated the moment she let the words slip between her lips.

She just couldn't understand her actions, at least not from a rational point of view. Watching the pair as they went through Alec's belongings made her feel violated, offended and furious at the casual disregard of their actions. A part of her recognized the hypocrisy of her behavior; after all, how many times has she done exactly the same thing? How many lives had she analyzed under a magnifying glass looking for answers? How many deep, dark secrets had she uncovered for a mission?

Too many.

Until today, May had never given it a second thought, at the time they had simply been tasks necessary to complete profiles or missions; it was simply a part of the job.

It was quite a different feeling when you were on the other side of the fence. Maybe a better way to describe what she felt was as something closer to a primal instinct that demanded that she protect her own, defend their secrets, their lives. She couldn't stand there watching in silence as 452 searched every inch of Alec's apartment looking for evidence of his supposed guilt.

It had been stupid. So stupid. She could come up with other synonyms, but the word 'stupid' summed things up perfectly well all by itself.

Finn was going to kill her.

May's hold on the gun tightened, the Beretta's steel barrel pressing forcefully against Logan's back. What she'd done couldn't be changed, and now there was no turning back.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Max's gaze was captivated by the pictures; the younger version of Alec was staring somewhere past the camera, the hazel of his eyes looked more intense and she could see that despite the disinterest of his posture something had his full attention as his brows were slightly furrowed. A couple of sandy blond locks fell on his face and gave the teenager a childish appearance, an interesting contrast between the younger look and the seriousness of his expression.

'_God he looks so young'. _

There was no trace of the ever present grin she was used to seeing on his lips. The cold detachment in his eyes showed no trace of the mischief that sparkled in them every time he spoke. The only thing that Alec and the kid in the pictures had in common was the physical resemblance, besides that it was like looking at a completely different person. A constant presence in all the pictures, a teenage girl who stood close by and was either looking after him or being looked at.

Not for the first time that week Max realized that after almost a year of knowing him, she barely knew anything about Alec.

"That was a very stupid move, or is clumsiness part of your charming personality?" The sarcastic tone of May's voice broke the spell created by the discovery.

Max's predictable reaction was to attack first and ask questions later. She sent a swift kick toward the redhead's face but made contact with Logan's arm as May used him as a shield. The hacker groaned in pain at the power of the kick, even as the brunette's eyes widened in shock.

"My, my…it's a known fact that domestic violence is a killer in any relationship." Snickered May as she kept the gun against Logan's back, maneuvering them both to the side so that she avoided the punch that hit him square in the jaw.

Max winced as she realized that as long as the redhead kept Logan between them she wouldn't be able to land a hit. Frustrated, she took a step back, "What the hell is your problem?"

"Isn't that obvious 452? Right now, my problem is you." May used the distraction of the X5's outburst to slip a thin silver chain around Logan's wrist before locking it to the bed post; the action went unnoticed by the hacker who remained stunned and rooted to the floor. Using his shoulders as support she vaulted over him and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that forced Max back against the wall. May took some measure of satisfaction watching as Max struggled to land a hit against an opponent who outclassed her in every way. May easily avoided and blocked all of her punches, and Max was clearly getting frustrated.

"This is boring 452, is that all you've got?" May teased, darting forward to put an end to the game.

Max felt her left arm being pulled forward, followed closely by a sickening 'crack' and sharp pain. Something squeezed the pressure point at the base of her neck, her vision darkened as her body crumbled on the floor.

"I guess that's a yes." The redhead looked down with distaste at the fallen girl. Her disdain towards the brunette wasn't anything against the X5's, she'd worked with some of the ones that had ended up in Prometheus after Manticore's dismantling; it wasn't even against the Niners, she actually kind of liked the crazy blond who lives with Seth; no, it had nothing to do with the fact that 452 was an X5 or a Niner, it was simply Max's attitude towards life and people.

"Max!" Logan's desperate cry cut through the air as he tried to rush to her side, his movements abruptly cut short by the sudden pressure on his wrist and an intense pain. Noticing the chain for the first time, he looked down and saw the thin red line circling the tender flesh of his wrist.

"Stop moving around and the blades will retract. Relax Cale, I only knocked your girlfriend out, she'll be back to her usual charming self in a few hours." Green eyes fixed on the hacker, studying the self proclaimed defender of Seattle. An ordinary man doing an extraordinary job, May wondered how the rich boy had ended up as the last free voice of the city, undoubtedly through some sort of epiphany.

Logan was still trying to process everything that had happened during the last five minutes. Who was the new girl? Why she attacked Max and him? How was she able to overpower an X5? And where the hell was Alec?

His attacker had told him not to move and he soon realized she hadn't been lying, when he'd stopped fussing the blades had retracted but the harm was already done. Curiosity got the best of him and he couldn't stop himself from taking the chain between his fingers.

A yelp of pain made her look in his direction as he tried with no success to hide his bloody fingers. "Curiosity killed the cat, ever heard that?" she asked teasingly as she retrieved a bottle of vodka and a couple of napkins.

"Logic, you should use it. If the blades cut your wrist what made you think that your fingers would be any different?" May continued as she poured some of the alcohol on the white papers and pressed them against his fingers.

He didn't understand why she was talking to him and treating his cuts after knocking Max out. It was as if she were a different person. Sighing tiredly he finally asked. "What do you want?"

She didn't reply, just turned around muttering something he couldn't understand.

When she heard the question May couldn't help but mutter, 'Not to be asked the same question twice'. Apparently these people didn't understand statistics; if she hadn't answered them before, it was unlikely that she would if they posed the same question again. In fact, what made him think that he would be conscious long enough to keep asking irritating questions…

Moving slowly until she was in front of him, she looked into his eyes and found surprise and distrust swirling in their depths. It didn't last long, as her fingers pressed against the base of his neck; his body slumped forward with her now supporting his weight, her fingers deftly unlatching the lock on the chain. Once he was free, she dropped the hacker's dead weight, letting Cale fall to the floor in an undignified heap.

Emerald eyes once again surveyed her surroundings; the fallen box with the scattered pictures caught her attention. A thin smile formed on her lips as Prometheus' child prodigy stared back at her, the focused expression on his face, the almost unnoticeable twitch of his brows and the glimmer in his eyes; all were clear signs that when the picture was taken Alec was pissed off at something or, more likely, at someone. The gleaming cobalt blue eyes of his SIC made it obvious to anyone who had spent a week in their company that the girl standing four feet behind him was the one to blame.

Glancing at the background of the photo May guessed that it had probably been taken during the Tbilisi Agenda; besides, Neil had mentioned Alec's visit to the Embassy and his meeting with the former defense minister. As she placed the pictures back inside the beautifully carved box, May felt slightly guilty, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was invading her CO's privacy by seeing the pictures. . . and at the same time she couldn't help herself, in the pictures was a side of Alec that she had rarely, if ever, seen before. Reaching the end of the pile she saw that the last shot was different; the teenager from the picture looked disheveled, the rigid control he had exuded in the earlier pictures was missing and in its place was the image of despair, frustration and something she had never seen in his eyes, there was the smallest glimmer of fear.

It was the final picture that made her realize that life inside Prometheus will be hell on Earth until they find Nicole.

Sighing, May decided that it would be necessary to address one problem at the time. First, she needed to call Housekeeping, after which she had to inform Finn about her Condition Black status and wait for new orders. The last thing on the list was to call Neil and basically tell him the same thing.

She had the phone in her hand when it started ringing; the code on the display told her that it was CeCe, and May felt a shiver run down her spine as she answered, "Is everything ok?"

CeCe's voice sounded playfully at the other end. "Of course. Relax, things are fine."

"Then why are you calling? You don't even like phones, what could possibly have happened to have you calling me if everything is fine?" She didn't have time for her friend's games.

"Is everything okay on your end? You sound anxious." CeCe's nature to analyze others had always served her well, but it had no sense of timing some days.

May really didn't have time for this. "Get to the point, I don't have all day."

The sigh on the other end of the line was unmistakable, "Alright, alright, if you insist. Alec needs you to get rid of a virus. He says you're gonna need blood samples from 452 and Cale. Short story, Max has a virus targeted to his DNA, Alec wants you to kill it."

May rolled her eyes glancing at the unconscious figures on the floor. Go figure, now she had to spend more time with the lovely 452. "You've got to be kidding."

"This is important to him." CeCe advised.

The redhead studied the ceiling and sighed. "The boss is going to kill me."

"Which one of them? What's going on?"

"I'm C-Black." May relayed, glossing over the details of the situation she had somehow put herself in.

CeCe tried to process the six letters, but it didn't make sense. What could have happened to blow May's cover? "How..."

May interrupted the blonde before she could continue, "Doesn't matter, I'll get it done."

"But…" CeCe huffed a breath in annoyance at the dial tone that indicated that May had hung up on her.

0oo0oo0oo0

_**Foggle Towers, Logan Cale's Penthouse  
Saturday 10:05 am **_

Neil grinned in satisfaction as the last file was successfully transferred. The amount of information that Logan had gathered on Manticore was quite impressive, though every indication was that the hacker hadn't been aware of what he had had in his hands. The log showed that once he'd gotten them he hadn't even opened most of them.

Neil skimmed through a good number of files and found that the information in them would be quite useful to the Elite; hidden files detailing Alec's programming were encrypted within them and confirmed the information they'd gotten from Fanning's assistant. Hopefully, the kids from the Crystal Tower would be able to find something about Nicole, who until now, no one had been able to find.

The Elite stood up and walked around the apartment, enjoying the feeling of accomplishment from a mission executed perfectly and without a hitch. Now he only had to wait until the original files were permanently deleted, ten more minutes and he would be out of this place and hopefully out of the city.

Once the adrenalin from the mission and his concern over Alec's condition were under control, his initial apprehension about being in close proximity to CeCe reappeared full force. He hadn't seen her yet, which was a good thing. Or maybe not, because now he found himself thinking about the blonde and wondering about the most inane things, if her hair was longer or if she finally got the tan she had been considering the last time they had talked.

At least he knew he was in over his head, and that if he wanted to preserve even some small measure of his pride, he'd better find a good excuse to leave the damn city.

He couldn't remember ever having acted like this before, not even when he was a teenager. The strange new uneasiness he felt around CeCe was something different. He, along with the rest of the Elite boys, had been helpless victims of the hormones that attacked them when they reached the hated teen years; he was also part of the club that cursed those episodes, a club that also included the Elite's CO. Although, he always guessed that Alec's predicament was more related to his SIC's attitude toward them.

The blue eyed brunette had a way of seducing people without realizing she was doing it, he had experienced it first hand and if said brunette hadn't also had the knack for leaving through windows the episode might have been quite embarrassing for him. Never mind that Alec would've probably skinned him alive for having those kinds of thoughts about her.

At least back then he could blame his irrational behavior on his age, with CeCe he sadly no longer had that excuse. It was time for decisions to be made and he would have to decide if he was going to continue avoiding her like the plague, or if he'd finally grow up and face the fact that he might have a crush on her. Of all the girls he could've fallen for he had to choose the one who loved to analyze people's behavior.

The vibration of his jacket made him stop, May's code was displayed on the screen and he got a bad feeling just looking at the three brightly flashing letters. His better judgment told him not to answer but a nagging doubt forced him to reconsider, what if she was in danger, or hurt, or…

"What's up?" He asked, ignoring his better judgment.

"Condition Black. No casualties, but I need a clean up team." May answered flatly.

Realization hit him hard as he heard her reply, and he cursed himself for having answered the damn phone. He would've sworn that a maniacal voice in the back of his head was laughing at his current predicament. "That's very sad. Why are you telling me?"

A sigh, a pause, another sigh and finally ". . .Protocol, now you have to tell him."

His fist clenched around empty air imagining that it was the redhead's neck. "No way, the mission was simple, I don't know how you managed to blow your cover, but I'm not cleaning up your mess for you May."

A groan, a sigh… "I'm not the one asking you to do it. I was going to make the call, but I just got a call from CeCe and now I need more time. Both of us know that if I call I'll be recalled immediately, but if you call it'll buy me a couple of hours."

Neil groaned in annoyance. "You – _owe_– me."

"Just make the call."

But he had no intention of making it that easy for her, "No. I'm going with you. I'll make the call but I'm also staying with you from here out."

She hadn't been counting on that, she didn't need a baby sitter. Yes, she'd screwed up, but she wasn't stupid enough let it happen again. "That's not necessary--"

"You don't have a choice. Take it, or make the call yourself. It's up to you."

The words had a freezing effect on her, cold and straight to the point they left no room for argument, he was really pissed. "Fine, see you in ten."

Neil snapped the phone shut harshly, 'Traitor' he muttered as he dropped back into his pocket. Having to deal with an irrational female who, on the top of everything else, has anger issues was not something he was looking forward to. May's behavior had become increasingly erratic, it was something he'd never seen before and that worried him to no end. He wasn't interested in tempting fate anymore than they already had, and preventing a larger disaster became his new self-appointed task.

Neil grabbed his phone again as he took a deep breath, he entered the long, complicated code on the cell phone and waited a few seconds until the connection was established.

"Circe's Condition Black. No casualties reported, additional time required for completion of off profile task." He waited in silence as the person on the other end of the line sighed tiredly.

"She asked you to make the call." It wasn't a question, merely an observation.

Neil cringed, and hoped the short pause went unnoticed; he had learned years ago that lying to the any of the D1's was useless. "Yes sir."

"She has six hours. The plane will be on location." Finn's voice was cold and laced the words like arsenic.

"Understood, sir." Neil closed the phone the moment he heard the dead tone of the line that let him know that Finn had disconnected. Finn was furious, utterly and dangerously enraged. May had better have a good explanation for her actions, otherwise the consequences wouldn't be pretty. . .

Oo0o0oO

_The fog covered the city __further __concealing the barely illuminated __figures __on the top of the building__.__ One of them stood close to the wall watching the scene taking place fifty floors below__ in silence__, the other was crouched millimeters away from the edge alternating her vigil between the people in the building in front of them and the guy standing meters away from her._

_Arching her back gracefully __she leapt __from her position by the __ledge__ and __glided towards__ her silent partner. The strong wind on the rooftop played idly with the brown locks of her hair creating a halo around her face. _

"_Can you feel it?" her voice was nothing more than a whisper as she rested her weight against the wall next to him, close but not really touching him._

_A nod was the only response__, the only indication__ she had that he was__ even__ aware of her presence. His eyes were still glued to the scene taking place in the building in front of them; years of training told him that he was missing something._

"_It doesn't feel right." He muttered quietly._

_What had been classified as a simple mission didn't seem quite __so __simple anymore. He had been on his way back from a mission in Azerbaijan__ when__ Finn's weekly report__,__ including the details of a Class D mission being scheduled and profiled__, had__ caught his interest. Nicole had been tying up some loose ends in Canada and was also on her way back. His decision at the time had been __easy,__ taking part of __in a simple__ retrieval mission was __usually__ a relaxing activity, at least for them._

_The mission turned __out __to be exactly the opposite; there was something that didn't fit__, __though up until that moment everything had matched the profile__ perfectly. Maybe that was part of the problem,__ maybe __it was __too perfect and precise. Things were never that accurate, __not in real world operations, anyway._

"_What about the Intel?" she asked__,__ her eyes __following__ the guards making their fourth round._

"_I had it verified three times." He replied turning his head slightly to be able to watch her. He suppressed the smirk forming on his lips as her eyes widened in surprise at finding his face so close to hers, his expression changed once the liquidized blue of __her gaze __was fixed on him. Those eyes were going to be the end of him. _

"_So we're just being paranoid because __the mission is too perfect?"__ this time it was her turn to smirk at his lost expression._

_His brow furrowed as he turned his face away from her and those distracting eyes. Hazel eyes focused once again on the target as he voiced his concerns. "Probably, but there's something else."_

"_We__'ve__ checked the blue prints, the guards' schedules and the profile of the mission. Nothing was left out." __Nicole was trying hard to keep the impatience out of her voice._

"_Fine. __Let's do it." Regardless that it was him who made the announcement__, he__ didn't move an inch._

"_I can request a full background __analysis of__ the company and the __details behind__ why The Agency requested Prometheus__'__ help for __an assignment__ that even a common __thief__ could have __handled."__ Her offer __was__ tempting, but he got the feeling that it wouldn't matter __how long__ they wait__ed._

_He let out an __irritated__ sigh; there was something about this mission that reminded him of an incident from a couple of months ago. There was some vital information that he was missing, information that not even his Analyst Team __had found._

"_The Committee approved it. __Though__ I'm __pretty__ sure that they__'re__ not aware of our involvement, one of the SO teams stationed in Dallas was supposed to get it." Alec __knew__ that both of them were going to have one of those conversations with Artemis and Maximus about protocol and rules once they go back, still at the time it had __seemed__ like a good idea. _

_Nicole watched his posture, his body was there but his mind was miles away.__They were going to get the mother of all lectures for this 'reckless behavior'__ when thy got back.__ "Besides Finn, does anyone else know where we are?" _

_The tone of her voice had been a mix between mockery and seriousness and he __had to resist__ the urge to roll his eyes at her delighted expression. His SIC had a tendency of bending the rules__, never__ quite breaking them __but refusing to follow__ them __completely. He knew__ that __she__ was __going to take this,__ the __one time that he'd bent__ the __rules, and somehow use it to__ her __advantage in the __future__._

_The smirk on her face forced him to finally answer her, "Probably Biggs, but it was Finn's call. I didn't request any specific protocol to handle the Intel." _

_This time her lips curved into a full grin, "Well__,__ it's been a while since we__'ve done__ something so reckless together__, sir."_

_He__'d__ seen it coming; in fact__,__ he was surprised that she hadn't made that comment earlier. The truth was that it was him who hadn't __done__ something so reckless in a long time. The irony of the situation didn't go unnoticed; a year ago they__'d__ had the worst fight of all time__ over__ a reckless behavior situation.__ That had been when__ everything changed between them. _

"_Yeah I know" his fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose when he realized something else…"hey it's been a while since you called me that." He smirked as he made his observation._

_Her eyes looked concerned__ly__ at him, "It has negative effects on your health."_

"_Oh really?"__ He raised an eyebrow._

"_It __makes__ your ego__ swell__. As your __second__ in __command__ I have to look __out __for your best __interests.__ An aneurism would not be good for you…sir." _

_The hurt look on his face only made her smile wider. "I'm promoting Finn once we're back." He replied in __flatly._

_She laughed at his offended expression and he finally __offered a small smile__ in return. "Shall we go then?"_

"_Yes, I'll feel better once this is over." He sighed tiredly. _

_The two figures dressed in black stood closer to the edge and watched the __empty__ street, up in the sky the dark clouds kept the moon hidden from view. Her hand took his as she pulled him down; he could feel the cold air on his face as they gained speed, the way the lights seemed to blur and then everything came to a halt as their fall was stopped centimeters away from making impact against the paved street. _

_**San Francisco  
Saturday, 10:20 am**_

Alec and CeCe stood on the rooftop of a building in the southern Financial District of San Francisco; Alec's eyes were locked on the headquarters of the large security agency in front of them. Small pieces of the past filtered through his brain, the warmth of the evening breeze, the way the moonlight had illuminated her face, his own reservations about the mission. He'd known something wasn't right.

"We thought both of you were on your way back to 7th." CeCe spoke softly.

Alec kept his eyes on the building; he'd known something was wrong before they entered. "It was my idea. I wanted to do something different. It was my own reckless behavior that got us into trouble. I should have known better."

Worried blue eyes watched him carefully; the place was obviously bringing back forgotten memories. "The mission was scheduled for an SO team; there was no indication of anything out of the ordinary."

"Let's get a closer look." Alec replied walking back to the staircase.

His eyes scanned the roof and suddenly he was looking at her, dark clothes and blue eyes fixed on him as her lips swept up in a playful smile. The temperature dropped and the wind got stronger, he watched her lips moving but was unable to hear what she was telling him. A hand on his shoulder made him look to the side for a second and by the time he looked back she was gone.

"Are you cold?" Asked CeCe concerned and moved her hand from his shoulder to his face. Alec's skin felt extremely cold to the touch. "God, you're freezing. Let's go."

Alec took a deep breath and shook away the images. He needed to take one step at a time, finding her was his first priority but he couldn't risk losing his grip on reality again. He didn't need to be an expert to know that hallucinations were unhealthy.

"Yeah, the wind suddenly became stronger; the city's obviously earned its nickname." He commented and finally advanced to the stairs.

_His finger__s fly over the keyboard__ as he __disables__ the security systems__, dancing around traps and __breaking __through firewalls, making sure to leave__ no __trace of his presence__ behind. __He's granted __access to copy __any file he wants a mere__ 38 seconds after he__'d__ placed himself in front of the keyboard. His lips quirk__ up into__ a smirk as he __watches__ the progress __on the screen. Lifting his gaze he finds Nicole crouching on __one of the desks, __her__ Beretta held over her left shoulder as her eyes stared __intently __at the shadows. _

_Even if it was a simple mission both of them had been trained to look for the __smallest__ details, nothing was left to fate, there were no lucky coincidences __as far as they were concerned, and __neither were __there __unlucky __ones.__ They had been trained to be the best__,__ and that was exactly what they were._

"_It's almost done." He __comments, watching__ the increasing numbers on the screen._

"_Good, this place is getting on my nerves." Her voice is low but he __knows__ her well enough to detect the __uneasiness in__ it. _

_He knows exactly what she means, though__ it __isn't__ the place __itself so much as__ it was the atmosphere surrounding them. There was something in the air that felt strange, an unsettled feeling that they had missed something of great importance._

_The screen __flashes as __he __disconnects__ the card from the port. Their job was done._

"_Done. Let's__ get out of here." His voice __betrays__ him and __his__ eagerness to be miles away from the building __is__ clear._

_She __nods__ and __jumps__ away from her perched position over the furniture, her steps __inaudible__ as she __moves__ to the door and __verifies__ their exit route. After visual confirmation she __gives__ him __the all clear__ signal and both of them move__ silently along the shadowed corridor._

Alec walked inside of the building holding CeCe's hand as they pretended to be a couple. His eyes scanned the faces to see if he recognized someone as they talked to one of the salesmen about the benefit of their systems and services.

He was watching the monitor when his eyes finally spotted something familiar. The bald man in his forties walking into the elevator, Alec had seen him before; he'd been there that night. The elevator stopped on the floors 5, 14 and 30, three options and one man.

Ten minutes later they were out of the building and inside a small café a couple of blocks away. Alec knew most of the employees would be leaving for lunch in half an hour. He also knew directors usually spent that time inside the building.

Thirty minutes and he'd be one step closer to the truth.

o0o0o0oo0o0o

_**Seattle's outskirts  
Saturday, 10:30 am**_

Neil was ready to kill someone, preferably a greeneyed, redheaded member of a special unit. When May called in C-Black he hadn't been expecting to find two unconscious bodies lying on the floor of Alec's apartment.

He relayed Finn's orders, emphasized that she'd gotten six hours and that was it; a race against time.

In response, the head of the 6th Section had demanded his help in finding a secluded place for her work and promptly left in search of all the things she would need to solve 'the virus issue,' as she had referred to it. Finding a location wasn't hard; Anna found him one in less than a minute. His frustration was based solely on the fact that May had left him to figure out how to move the two unconscious bodies from the floor of the apartment to the transport and then to the specified location.

It took five minutes to coordinate the extraction; but he spent ten waiting for the transport to arrive, fifteen more until they could safely transfer the bodies from the ambulance to his car – because no matter what the crazed redhead thought, maneuvering two unconscious bodies down a staircase did draw unwanted attention – and another twelve to reach their destination.

And for what? Did she at least say 'thanks Neil you're the best?' Nope. May had screamed at him first in what sounded like Korean, then in English, and finally in French. He tuned her out when he caught the words 'lost hour', 'deadline' and 'virus'. There was no reward for true friends, or maybe he just needed to find new friends, preferably ones who weren't psychopaths.

At that moment he'd been very close to committing murder, but that had been three hours ago, and now his rage had given way to endless boredom. There was nothing to do in this place, he couldn't bug May if he wanted to protect his cover since the scientist and her subjects were currently sharing the same space in the room next door.

May had thrust the wooden box into his hands as the only explanation for her actions. He'd needed to open the box and examine its content to fully grasp the meaning of her words. The shots were too personal, pictures taken when the subjects were clearly unaware of the camera and the raw emotions were clear in their eyes. Not for the first time Neil got the feeling that life inside Prometheus would not be back to normal until they found Nicole.

He could hear May through the wall separating them as she made notes and took samples. He had to admit that the girl was working at an amazing speed as she checked and double checked the test results. Her unsuspecting subjects were still dead to the world or to their current predicament. Everything seemed to be back on track. The sudden commotion next door told him that he'd spoken too soon.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Max opened her eyes slowly, the first thing she realized was that her arms and legs were restrained, raising her head she found the redhead from before standing in front of a microscope, on the table in front of her several instruments were laid out, some of the machines humming quietly to themselves as the woman, who was now wearing a lab coat, took notes and checked something on the laptop next to her.

"What do you want from us?" she asked, her voice hoarse and feeling lightheaded.

May didn't turn but replied absently, "Oh, you're awake. Took you longer than I'd expected."

The brunette grunted in reply, "Sorry to disappoint you, I'm usually better when people don't give me a concussion."

This time the redhead turned around and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hit you, I placed the right amount of pressure on a pressure point."

"Couldn't tell the difference." Max snapped back.

A snicker was heard as May replied, "Actually it's quite easy, you don't have a swollen bruise on your head."

"Cut the crap, what do you want from us?"

"Relax Max. What's with all the hostility? That can't be healthy." May dismissed her, returning her eyes to the screen.

Max felt her temper begin to flare. "So in your book, knocking a person out twice isn't hostile. Where'd you learn that? Manticore?"

May spared an annoyed glance at the brunette. "You really hate it, don't you?" she asked ignoring the question.

"What the hell are you talking about now?" Max didn't try to hide her frustration.

"Manticore, you hate it. But it's not really the place or even what it represented, right? You blame them for everything that's happened to you."

"You don't know anything about me." Max snapped and watched as the redhead walked around her, analyzed her.

"Half true. I know some things about you, and I don't care enough about you to find out the rest. However, there's something that's abundantly clear. Actually, I'm rather curious, how do you do it?" Green eyes watched curiously.

"Do what?"

"Hate being an X5, you hate being different than the ordinaries. But at the same time you don't hesitate to use your abilities for your own good. It must be a difficult task…" the comment would have been empathic if the tone used to deliver it hadn't been so sarcastic.

Max glared at the redhead, a deep rage in her brown eyes. "Go to hell."

"My, my and there we go with the hostility again. And we were having such a nice chat. . ." May knew that her condescending tone was driving the X5 nuts; after all, she usually ended up ready to kill Nicole whenever the technique had been used against her.

Max wasn't sure what the woman was trying to accomplish, besides annoying her. "What do you want from me?"

May didn't bother turning around as she waited for the computer to verify her results. "Despite what you may believe, the world doesn't revolve around you 452, but if you're so interested I'm here to solve your virus problem. Why? Did you have any other request, something else that you want me to look at while I check the results? Are there any other disease you want to get rid of?"

"What the hell are you talking about? How do you know about the virus?" Max didn't know how this stranger could know anything about the virus that had been causing her so much grief lately. It didn't make sense unless, the good doctor had taken a blood sample; as she looked down, Max discovered the fading needle marks tracing her arms.

May's voice brought her back, "Does it really matter? I'm going to fix it, why do you care how I know or why I'm doing it."

"I don't believe you." But deep inside Max wondered if it could be true. It would mean that she and Logan could be finally together. But something else was weighing on her mind, preventing any feelings of excitement at the prospective cure for the virus. Hazel eyes and sandy blond hair materialized in her mind. Alec. Where was Alec?

"Do you honestly think that I want to do this?" May couldn't understand the logic of the girl, wasn't she supposed to be in love with the hacker? Shouldn't she be at least a little bit interested in finding a cure? Maybe CeCe had misunderstood Alec's request, maybe there was someone else in the equation.

"Max?" Logan groaned, waking up to the sound of voices.

"God, Logan…are you all right?" Max asked alarmed, she couldn't see him but his voice sounded close.

Logan blinked a couple of times before replying. "Yes, kind of daze, I guess. Where are we?"

"In Wonderland. I'm the rabbit, let's have some tea." May snarked over her shoulder.

"What?" As the question left his lips he realized the futility of it.

"Oh come on, you woke up tied down in a room you've never been in before, where do you think you are?" May asked.

"Who do you work for?" Logan asked looking around, the warehouse looked deserted.

A sing song voice replied, "No one."

"Who do you work for?" he repeated the question.

This time May used a childish voice to reply. "The man in the big suit."

Max was getting frustrated with the answers. "What kind of freak are you?"

This time May turned around and fixed her emerald green eyes on Max's brown ones. "I'm not a freak, as you so kindly put it. I'm smarter, stronger, and better than you. Now I'm going to ask you again, 'cause I'm almost finished, do you want me to correct anything else in that messed up DNA of yours or not?"

"Max, what is she talking about?" Asked Logan confused about the new turn of the conversation.

"She claims to be working on a cure for the virus." Max replied and May rolled her eyes she'd never said cure, you don't cure a virus, you give a treatment for a virus or have a vaccine, but there's no way that you 'cure' a virus.

"Why?" Logan's question hung in the air for a long moment.

May watched the pair, amused, they were sharing the same room and despite being within hearing distance of one another they still managed to ask the same stupid questions. "Why is the reason so important for you two? I have the key that will solve your problems. Why do you care why am I doing it? She'll be able to touch you without killing you in the process, isn't that more important than knowing the reason?"

"I don't believe you." Max repeated stubbornly.

"Oh my god, I might die from the shock and the heartache of your hurtful words." May rolled her eyes dramatically before she pinned Max with an intense glare. "Why do you want so desperately to be like him? Why are you ashamed of what you are? So you were made in a lab, what's the big deal?"

Max's voice was sarcastic as she replied. "Gee, I don't know, maybe I got tired of the torture and being treated as a replaceable thing."

"Oh…a sad story. . . poor, poor you. How unfair life has been with you. Have you ever thought about the thousands of children who grow up on the streets? To the ones that can't defend themselves and are hurt in every way possible? Stop complaining about your life and face the facts, you're never going to be one of them, no matter how hard you try to deny what you are. You're an X5. Life won't suck so much if you accept the fact that what you are is not something that you can change, it's who you are."

Silence descended on the room as May went back to her vials and Max contemplated the redhead's words. "I'm going to leave the vaccine and you can have it tested or flushed down the toilet. I don't care, it's your choice Max." May had grown tired of repeating the same conversation.

"Where's Alec?" Max asked and found that the question seemed to unnerve the girl.

The cold tone of her voice clearly showed her discomfort with the new topic. "What do you care?"

"He's my friend." Max replied with confidence.

"Ha! That's funny, but you really shouldn't delude yourself with that lie." May replied once again focused on the vials in front of her.

"You don't know anything about him." Max words echoed flatly in the room until May actually laughed at her declaration.

"And you do, right? That's why you were in his apartment, because you know everything about him." May left three vials on the table as she started packing the rest of the equipment.

"I know him." Max replied softly.

May glanced at her over her shoulder. "Who are you trying to convince with that, yourself or me? He's going to be fine, you don't need to worry about him."

"Why are you after him?" Max asked as she noticed that the redhead had almost finished packing.

May turned to face her and kneeled to be at her level. "You ask too many questions, but you're not prepared to face the answers. Let him go. He's not yours, he never was and never will be."

Max avoided the other woman's penetrating gaze and watched as she took several boxes before she walked out of the room. She returned after only a minute to retrieve her laptop.

May picked a pocket knife from her lab coat and placed it three feet away from Max's hands. "You're twenty miles from the city; the closest town is five miles to the west. The three vials on the table are the vaccine for the virus." Without looking back May walked to the door and stopped before opening it. "And Max…it was a pain meeting you."

Logan waited in silence but nothing happened, did she just walk out and leave them there? "Is she gone?"

"I think so; I heard a car drive off." Max replied absently, warily eyeing the three vials on the table, wondering if they would disappear if she blinked. Maybe the woman was right, why does she care about the reasons? If it really worked she could be with the man she loved. Why can't she stop thinking about Alec then? What's wrong with her?

"Max, how are we going to get out of here?" Logan's voice brought her back and she started to drag herself closer to the knife.

Ooo0ooO

Neil had looked at her funny as she walked past him to place the boxes on the floor next to his feet. His unspoken question was answered with an unspoken reply, as she turned around and went back to the room. A quick glance at his watch told him they had an hour to get to the airport, as he picked up the boxes and carried them outside the warehouse he smiled, thinking that an hour to annoy May could be the perfect payback for forcing him to act as her errand boy for the day.

By the time May was finally ready to leave the warehouse he was once again bored out of his mind, so the smirk firmly planted on her face piqued his curiosity.

He started the car and drove toward the highway, "Did the two of you finally make up?"

May didn't turn to face him, keeping her eyes focused on the rearview mirror as the warehouse became smaller. "What, exactly, are you talking about?"

"The psychoanalysis you performed in there? Never knew you had it in you." He baited her.

May rolled her eyes, "I did nothing out of the ordinary, just solved the virus issue."

Neil snorted at her response, "Right and you're usually a bucket of fluffy kittens." A glare and a punch on the forearm were all the reply he got.

"Damn it woman, don't you know it's not safe to attack the driver?" He whined.

"If the driver would focus on driving he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked." She snapped.

Neil chuckled at her offended expression. "And where would the fun in that be?"

"You're being childish."

"And you keep refusing to answer a simple question."

"What do you want to know?"

"What changed in there? You're not usually such a talkative ray of sunshine." He asked more serious and turned slightly to look at her.

May sighed before replying, in truth she wasn't even sure why she'd started talking to Max. "I just wanted to understand why Alec would care about someone like her."

"And?"

"I have no clue; it has to be something that happened between them." She admitted.

Neil rolled his eyes at her expression. "Nothing else? Yesterday you were ready to kill her and today you two had a civil conversation."

"It wasn't civil and I still find her extremely annoying but I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. She has enough issues to deal with and I doubt she'll be ready to face them any time soon. It's amusing to see someone who refuses so strongly to accept her own nature, it's even worst because she's trying to be like them."

"Well, with the virus under control, she might able to."

"I'm not so sure about that. She's so frustrated and tense that I doubt solving this one issue is going to be enough. Besides, she likes our boy."

"Well that could explain the constant fights, which reminds me, she was paired with Alec for Manticore's breeding program. Do you think they might …?

"Nah. I'd bet that she's never even kissed him."

"How could you possibly know that?" he asked raising an eyebrow as the car entered the private airport complex.

May sighed and closed her eyes for a second. "Because when that man kisses you he makes it unforgettable."

"Do I want to know?" Neil asked apprehensively.

May punched him again. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Alec might be our CO but he's always been a man, and a very attractive one at that. It was a mission in Prague, and trust on me there's no female capable of forgetting him, even if he just barely brushed his lips against yours."

"Stop right now. That's not the kind of information I need or want to know. At least you're back to your usual self." Neil groaned at the image of Alec and CeCe kissing during a mission.

"Relax Romeo; I don't think CeCe ever had a mission alone with Alec. So tell me, do you have a plan to woo our Juliet yet?" May asked with a brilliant smile.

"I'm not going to miss you at all." Neil groaned in response as he stopped the car and both of them got out.

The desire to strangle the woman standing in front of him came back full force; nevertheless years of training forced him to restrain himself. Mentally counting the ways to kill a redhead Neil trailed dejectedly behind May.

* * *

_**San Francisco  
Tech Corp Building 14**__**th**__** floor, 13:00 pm**_

Alec and CeCe moved silently on the deserted 14th floor, most of the employees had left the building during their lunch break and the few remaining workers had ended up on the cafeteria of the 5th floor.

_He __was__ eager to get out of the building; there was something about the place that made him uneasy. His eyes focus on her raised hand as she __stops__ suddenly and signaled for him to __retreat.__ He turned around but clearly __saw__ among the shadows fifteen armed guards aiming __automatic weapons right __at __him._

_They were surrounded__,__ and there seemed to be no way out__._

_Extreme situations called for extreme __measures,__ it shouldn't have come to this but he was__n't__ willing to risk both of their lives with more than thirty heavily armed men surrounding them. Alec closed his eyes and focused on the strategy of his __attack, visualizing__ the position of the hostiles __before manipulating __and __releasing__ the energy around him. __This had__ to be quick and clean._

_Just as he was about to release his attack cold fingers pressed against his wrist twice. The action went unnoticed by their captors and he stopped his attack. Her signal had been clear, there was something else going on and it wasn't safe to uncover their true identity. One of the things about the Elite was the fact that there were __never__ witnesses of their real power, no one could really tell what the Elite members were capable of, no one could __be sure of__ what was real and what__ was__ part of an ancient myth. _

_Nicole started walking again; __from__ their position there was no other option. The guards probably hadn't realized that they__'d__ been __discovered, but __the man __watching __from the second floor had__. He'd__ been watching her as if he knew that she was looking back at him. He knew they were there and were they__'d come__ from. The question now was how much did the stranger really know about them?_

_Nicole __came to a sudden stop as a gun __was pressed__ against her chest. The lights were turned on and both Elites __noted__ with cold detachment that they__'d been __right. __There were thirty__ guards __surrounding__ them and __two__ men __over__looking all the action from the staircase. Nicole __raised__ her hands in mock surrender__, placing__ herself between them and Alec. _

_The man from the stairs barked some orders in a language Alec didn't __recognize; though__ it sounded __similar__ to Russian__, __with some German and Flemish mixed in__.__ The meaning became clear as he felt a pricking sensation __at__ six different parts of his body, the muscles relaxant injected by the darts __quickly starting__ to spread __through__ his __bloodstream.__ A quick glance to his right found the __semi-lucid __cobalt blue irises looking back at him. The drugs __took__ effect almost instantly and he could feel his legs stop responding __to __his command__s__ as his body crumbled __to__ the floor._

_Nicole distantly__ felt one of the guards __pulling__ her __to__ a standing position, __conscious of __her __surrounding__ but __unable to make __her body __respond,__ it seemed ironic that she had been reduced to nothing __more__ than a rag doll. The sound of fabric being ripped could only mean that they had cut open the back of her shirt._

_She__ could __hear the footsteps behind__ her and shivered as cold fingers touched her skin, looking for something that wasn't there. Seconds later she could hear the same ripping sound, Alec was receiving the same treatment__, though__ the result __would__ be exactly the same. _

"_They're nothing more than pawns. This __has__ been a waste of my time." The man from the staircase wearing thick framed glasses __growled__ with clear __disgust,__ he spoke __with a quiet__ rage __in__ his __tone._

_The man had enough knowledge about Prometheus to be considered a __problem;__ However__,__ the thing that bothered both __captives__ was the__ specific__ information he seemed to posses about the Elite. __That__ he had been looking for a mark was proof that he knew about the Elite's __symbol-based ranking system,__ although luckily for them__,__ his information was obviously outdated._

_The cold__, calculating__ voice spoke again. "Stone, call the Colonel, he can keep this pair, I have no use for them. Call Dominick and tell him he's __just made himself__ responsible __for__ his granddaughter's __death."_

_Alec eyes __flashed in __recognition, the name could__n't__ be just a coincidence __-- __and it would explain the man's knowledge __of__ the Elite. The feeling of betrayal __leaves__ a bitter taste __in__ his mouth; the Elite commanders had fallen __into__ a trap set by their own people. __It was at__ that __moment that __Alec realized just __how far__ out of control__ things had gotten._

David Stone felt the cold metal against his forehead and as he raised his head he found a face he thought he'd never see again. Blank hazel eyes stared through him as the gun pressed menacingly against his skin.

"I see you haven't forgotten me."

_To be continued…_

* * *

_**AN: **_Comments are always welcome, just take a minute or two and leave a review.


	15. Beyond the Invisible

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** This chapter took longer than expected and I discovered that I'm no longer setting deadlines because Murphy Laws attack me every time I do it. Therefore what all of you do have is my sincere promise to finish this story.

Thanks to Jenna who did a wonderful job for the grammar and syntax corrections on this chapter. Also a special thanks to timetowaste247 who was the only reviewer of the last chapter; thanks for taking time to leave a comment, you see poor chapter 13 was feeling awfully unloved and neglected before you did it :).

I know it's been a while since the last update; therefore I present to all of you a longer chapter…criticism is always welcomed so don't be shy and leave a review.

* * *

_**Chapter 14  
Beyond the Invisible **_

_He could feel the slight spasm beneath his left eye, a nervous tic from a long forgotten childhood he hadn't been able to overcome despite how many psychologists he had seen over the years. Taking a deep breath he attempted once again to calm his nerves, the man standing by his side wouldn't be amused if he had a nervous breakdown._

_He'd never agreed to be involved directly. He didn't really care about, nor was he interested in the latest exploits of Red Eagle. In all honesty, if the group disappeared from the face of the Earth tomorrow he would be a happy man. A happy man with one less thing to worry about. His participation had never been exactly voluntary but more likely a family imposition to continue with the family legacy. After too many arguments, too many threats against the people he cared about, he'd finally agreed to continue his support of the lunatics. But now, as he scrutinizes past events, he realizes that he'd never really make a single decision, he'd been led and manipulated the entire time. This latest event proving nothing less than confirmation of his theory – he'd requested that his support be strictly financial and what did he get in return? A so-called privileged position next to the most despicable man he had the misfortune to meet. _

_It was no secret that he wasn't a committed member of the organization; in fact, he'd expressed in several occasions his opposition regarding the organization's approach and methods. So maybe he's the sole responsible of his current predicament, for them this is nothing more than a punishment, a corrective measure to bring back to the right path a lost son. For him is different, it might be the first day of a life he thought he had successfully escaped from. He had been naïve. They never let you go no matter how fast you run._

_They were nothing but fanatics ruled by a shared obsession of a stupid myth._

_After hearing the story over and over again he's almost positive that by now he knows every detail by heart. And he might even concede that it's a good story, but fiction and reality are not the same thing and never will be. A secret organization whose members had the ability to control each of the four elements. . . It sounded like an elaborate plot, better suited to a novel than real life and more attractive for children rather than adults._

_David was far from a good man, his pragmatic nature gave him the freedom to disregard values and ethics whenever they conflicted with his interests. Yet despite his share of questionable actions, he had never been directly responsible for anything that could be considered criminal, he suspected that was going to change after today. _

_The thick framed glasses only served to conceal the cold, empty black orbs of the man standing next to him – a man well known for his vicious kills and lack of compassion. In David's opinion, the current leader of Red Eagle was little more than a cold blooded killer who led a life fueled only by his obsession with the mythical Prometheus, specifically with its supposed Elite. _

_The security cameras and motion sensors didn't show any evidence of an intruder's presence, yet Malik had assured him that their targets were already inside the building. Stone refrained from pointing out that the security system was state of the art, and in combination with the various other security systems, made the building an impenetrable fortress. If so much as a fly were to have moved inside these walls, he would know about it._

_Malik's eyes sparkled in anticipation, the prospect of finally getting his hands on a member of Prometheus' Elite was intoxicating. Capturing a member of the Elite was a crucial part of his plans for exacting his revenge, and he could feel it drawing closer with every passing second. He bit down on his tongue until he could taste his own blood, the salty metallic taste of the red substance always relaxed him whether it was his or someone else's. The man standing closest to him came from an old legacy inside Red Eagle, but David Stone had nothing in common with his ancestors and their compromise with the organization. Malik had decided to correct that situation, starting tonight. _

_David could feel it more than actually see it, the displays showing nothing out of the ordinary though he could have sworn that someone was watching him. He hears the faint sound of Malik's voice delivering orders, commanding the soldiers to stand-by positions until he gives them another signal. It all happens too fast after that. The lights are flipped on and he's shocked to find the thirty heavily armed men surrounding two masked figures dressed from head to toe in black. _

_One of the intruders positions himself between the nearest guards and his partner, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. David Stone could only watch impassively as the darts found their targets. Considering the record of Malik's sick and twisted nature, the pair had a slim chance of survival if they were subjected to all of the tests he had planned for them. _

_As he was climbing the stairs trailing behind the man he so loathed, the guards pulled the masks from the intruders and his eyes widened in shock at the sight that greeted him. Red Eagle's hideous enemies were nothing more than a couple of twenty-year-old kids. It seemed ironic to think of these children as Malik's nefarious enemies. _

_The pair didn't fight the guards; both were armed, though they never raised their guns against their captors. And he'd never once heard their voices – not when they'd been knocked down by the sedatives that had been used to immobilize them, not even as the ripping sound of fabric echoed through the building. The matching blank expressions on their faces told him that these kids were far from normal. _

_Malik, denied what he'd been looking for, lost all self-control and allowed his emotions free rule over his actions, hastily snapping out instructions that would nearly guaranty that this would be the last time he saw them alive. The eyes of the young man caught his attention, a nearly invisible flicker of recognition flashing through those hazel orbs at the mention of Marcel Dominick's name, though the cold barrier was back in place before David could process what it might mean. _

_Red Eagle's commander was too far gone in his rage to notice the flicker of his captive's eyes and he continued barking orders without realizing that maybe he had caught the right people after all. One way or the other David was not going to clarify the situation for him. It was enough that he had to follow his orders, but he would rather shoot himself than willingly provide the bastard any help._

_Staring down at his cell phone, he sighed before finally starting to press the buttons to connect the call. The Colonel picked up on the second ring. David wondered vaguely if the feeling of self-loathing enveloping him would ever fully disappear. Maybe one day he wouldn't care how many people had died in the name of Red Eagle, maybe he would learn to deal with this life and all its implications. Or maybe not, and he'd end up shooting himself to escape it. At the moment, he and the young prisoners had one thing in common, a future neither of them wanted. _

_His fingers closed the phone slowly and he took a moment to catalogue the scene around him, without realizing it his gaze sought out the young man one last time. Cold-flecked hazel eyes looked back at him, the strength and intensity of the stare forcing him to lower his gaze. Red marks that would soon become angry bruises were visible on the girl's neck, a reminder of Malik's loss of control when his questions had remained unanswered. David suppressed the sigh at the back of his throat as his eyes made contact with _

_the girl's; liquid blue orbs stared at him, eyes so blue that he could have drowned in them if her stare hadn't held the same cold detachment displayed by her male counterpart. _

_He never knew their names and he told himself that it was better that way. Still, the cold stares haunted him for months. _

_**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**_

_**San Francisco  
Saturday 13:30 pm**_

As he felt the cold metal against his skin, David Stone realized that he had been waiting for this moment. He'd known this day was coming, and had wondered only at when it would finally arrive.

Ever since that day almost two years ago, he knew it was only a matter of time. His current position inside Red Eagle made him a valuable target, a fact acknowledged by his enemies who had tried to kill him on three occasions last year alone. Sadly, they'd proven to be incompetent fools and aside from a minor leg injury, he'd walked out of each of those situations unscathed.

He would've taken his own life, but he didn't feel that he deserved an easy way out for all the things he'd done over the years. Lying he was used to, stealing he had no problem with, killing was a whole different ballgame. Death might never be truly welcomed by anyone, but neither had anyone been so eager to be taken by her.

Stone raised his head slowly, trying to get a better look at the man who'd managed to bypass all of the guards and security devices planted throughout the building. He wondered if the man had been hired by the Russians, or maybe he was part of their own government; he would find out soon. His eyes finally reached the face of his attacker, but instead of a stranger, David Stone found a pair of blank hazel eyes he thought he'd never see again.

"I see you haven't forgotten me." Alec drawled, his voice clipped with controlled rage.

David had never considered that his death would take the form of the first person he had condemned. Either life has a twisted sense of humor or Karma had finally caught up with him.

"Truthfully, I never thought I'd see you again." David's voice sounded calm, almost relieved by the events he knew would soon be following. There was no way that this man would fail, he would die today, and as morbid as it sounded, he was glad for it; he was glad it would be by this stranger's hands.

A dry chuckle was all the response he got, "Thoughts can be deceiving." Alec's movements were fluid and calculated as he distanced himself from the man and stood closer to the wall.

"Indeed. I'm not going to walk out of this unharmed or even alive, am I?" David asked the question even though he already knew what the response would be. Still, he needed to prove himself that this was happening.

"No." A two-letter word spoke without hesitation. Coldness lashed viciously through the short reply and David felt a cold shiver running down his spine.

Alec watched as the man absorbed his answer, and repositioned himself away from the wall to stand at the opposite side of the large oak desk. His eyes made contact with Stone's as he added. "But it's up to you how painful it'll be."

David Stone watched the blank expression on the young man's face, and hazel eyes stared back at him with an unspoken challenge. The look of a predator that was merely deciding how to finish off its prey.

"When did you start working with Marcel Dominick?" The loathing in Alec's voice was unmistakable. While the mask hid his expression, it couldn't stop the wild cacophony of thoughts that swirled through his mind the moment he recognized the man sitting in front of him as the man that had delivered Nicole and him to Manticore.

The man took a deep breath and loosened the knot of his tie. "Five months before the night you broke in, right after we abducted his granddaughter."

The words echoed in his mind, five months. . . Five months of betrayal and deception, of inexplicable mistakes that had cost too many lives. Golden flecks flashed in his eyes as the feelings of betrayal and anger coursed through his veins. He felt the sudden increase of adrenalin in his blood and cursed his lack of control. This was not the time to lose control, and Alec forced himself to take a deep breath as he worked on slowing his heartbeat back to something resembling normal.

"What did he have to do to get the kid back?" Alec had regained his aloof tone, no emotion audible in his voice and he was relieved that he wouldn't be giving away anything else. He was back in control.

"He was to deliver one of Prometheus' Elite members to Red Eagle. At first, he had been uncooperative, but the girl was an obvious pressure point – one we exploited it to the fullest."

Alec's interest was piqued as he heard the terms that Dominick had been presented with. If he hadn't been a willing participant, then. . . "Why the interest in the Elite?"

"The Elite has always been Joseph Malik's personal obsession, I'm not sure why. Perhaps he wants to study them. Perhaps he wants to kill them. I don't thing anyone knows for sure. His only requirement is that he wants them alive. But as far as Red Eagle is concerned," Stone paused to shrug dismissively, "well, they'd rather have you dead; they've sworn to destroy Prometheus and all the people involved with it. Keeping you alive is rather contradictory, wouldn't you say?"

"You don't sound too convinced."

The young man's voice had sounded deliberately provocative, as if the man was taunting him, playing with his mind and looking for a breaking point. David remained silent, refusing to admit that he couldn't care less about Red Eagle or their grand schemes. Instead, he countered by asking the question that had been on his mind since the night he'd met the boy, "You recognized the name that night didn't you?"

Both men looked at each other; but a sly smile on Alec's lips was the only response Stone got. "The Colonel, how did he fit in the story?"

"Manticore had failed to deliver the results they'd promised so they viewed Prometheus as direct competition. Manticore's board was slowly watching all of their privileges disappear, with every accomplishment from Prometheus, Manticore lost that little bit more. It was a race they expected to lead and suddenly they found themselves lagging behind. The government progressively cut back their budget and while they still had access to resources, it was nothing compared to before.

We knew how delicate their situation was… and contacting them was easier than we expected. Once they heard our proposal they were more than happy to help us find you. They'd wanted to study Prometheus' subjects and we'd wanted to capture Prometheus' Elite – it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Red Eagle worked on the logistics and research, Manticore provided the muscle.

Manticore had no real knowledge of Prometheus or the Elite; they were so convinced that it was just another military program…no different than them. Fools without vision. Eventually it was decided that in 

exchange for the use of their resources, materials, and employees, we would give them any non-Elite soldiers or agents captured from Prometheus.

The Colonel had been the right hand of Manticore's Director at the time. You know better than I, how the story continued."

Alec nodded in response, though actually he didn't know. Not yet, anyway. But it would do him no good to continue this line of questioning, since the man in front of him wouldn't know anything about what transpired inside the walls of Manticore.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Stone looked at him and replied tiredly, "To be honest, I hadn't believed Prometheus even existed until that night. I did what I had to do, what was expected from me. It was the life I was supposed to lead."

"Having a family legacy sucks." Alec replied in sarcastic tone that bordered on inappropriate humor.

The comment had been so unexpected that David couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped from his lips. "It does." He replied quietly.

Alec looked intently at him. "So does Karma."

David let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I know."

"Have a last request?" The younger man asked.

"Two answers. Who are you? And was I right about that night?"

Alec sighed and pointed the gun at the man's head. "I did recognize the name that night."

"I knew it." There was a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"And your other question… I'm Alexander, Commanding Officer of the Elite." David had closed his eyes after the first answer, but when he heard the rank that followed the name of his killer his eyes were instantly wide open. Alec grinned at the surprised look on Stone's face and readjusted his aim one last time. "Life's a bitch, ain't it?" the question remained unanswered and silence blanketed the room following the muffled 'fwap' of the silenced gunshot.

David Stone heard the distinct click of the trigger when it was released, imagined that the last thing he felt was the sharp pain as the metal pierced his skin and shattered his skull, but of course that was impossible. Darkness embraced him, and his last thoughts were of the irony of it all.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A thin red river stained the neck of the pristine white dress shirt he'd chosen to wear that day.

A loud scream resounded through the building as Alina Morris fell to her knees. David Stone, CEO of _Stone & Heinrich Security Systems_ sat behind his desk, right hand over the wooden surface and surprised expression frozen on his face. The situation would have been normal if not for the bullet hole set perfectly between his gray eyes, and the blood staining the neck of his shirt.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sounds of ambulance and police sirens filled the air. TV channels arrived at the site minutes ago and the commotion it caused on the adjacent streets became apparent as the traffic slowed through the surrounding streets. Three blocks away from the crime scene a figure watched the scene unfold.

Oo0oo0oo0o0o0oo0oo0oO

_**Florence, Italy  
Sunday 01:30 am**_

As she stood outside on the balcony, felt the cool breeze against her skin, it brought back memories of a different time, a different life...and just for an instant she was twenty-one again, carefree, naïve, and ready to take on the world.

_Green eyes fixed on the distant Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, marveling at the incredible sight of the church at night, its marble panels seemed even brighter in the evening than during the day. Florence at night was a sight to behold and Artemis wondered if, in the years to come, she would be able to come back here and fully appreciate its beauty._

_Would she be able to make the right decisions? Would she be strong enough? She had been chosen to lead them and was now responsible for the future of Prometheus. The chance to redeem past mistakes was now in her hands as well, though it was by no means a certainty. She quietly vows to herself that she will do everything in her power to do the best that she can for the organization and the people that she's been chosen to lead. _

_"I thought you'd be here. You've been gone for over an hour." There's a hint of amusement in the newcomer's voice and she smiles without turning around._

_"Nothing gets past you, right Maximus?" she replied, her eyes still trying to commit every detail of the city to memory._

_Blue eyes twinkle with amusement as he watches her. "Well, it shouldn't when it's about you. What kind of SIC would I be if I didn't know where our fearless leader has run off to?" _

_Artemis turns around to raise and incredulous eyebrow at the relaxed posture of the blonde young man, his hands in his pockets and a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, attractive and dangerous in equal parts – just like the rest of them. _

"_Shall we go?" his German accent was barely noticeable. They'd come so far in the year they'd been working together. Mastering foreign languages had been one of their primary goals, and she was glad to see they were doing so well._

_With a last look to the city she finally started back towards him. The light touch on her shoulder is reassuring. "It'll be okay. I'm by your side." Blue eyes locked on her green ones; she saw his trust and concern reflected in his eyes and knew that as long as she had that kind of support everything would be okay. _

Artemis opened her eyes and watched the city, the basilica still stood there, proud and beautiful as always. It hadn't change much since that day. She couldn't say the same thing about her, a lot of things had happened through the decades, and the woman left standing today has precious few things in common with the vibrant girl she used to be.

"Everybody is waiting for you Artemis." His voice had changed too, it did sound now deeper and slightly accusatory. She turned quickly, but caught only a glimpse of his shadow as he disappeared back through the door. He wouldn't wait for her this time and he'd made it clear earlier that he won't be supporting her decision in the meeting.

A single tear slid down her face before she quickly wiped it away, pretended it didn't happen. She took a deep breath and walked inside, she was willing to sacrifice even more if it meant that this could finally be over.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He'd never been too fond of silence unless he was alone. Prolonged silences gave him time to think, tended to make him think about the past, remember faces of old friends and foes, made him question himself about the decisions he made and the people who'd been involved. Most of the time, silence makes him feels guilty, so if there's anything Balthazar hates with the same intensity as tardiness it's silence.

The 'taptap_tap_' of fingers insistently drumming the table caught the attention of the remaining four people in the room. Brown eyes glared at the man sitting across him, blaming the delay and the silence on his presence inside the room and the fact that he should have been looking for the absent and stubborn woman they were all waiting for. "Aren't you supposed to fetch our fearless leader?"

The question hung in the air for several seconds and the man in question suppressed a groan, his unperturbed blue gaze locked straight into the brown orbs of the seething man that posed the question. "Afraid of running out of time Balthazar?"

The older member of the Committee bit back his retort, Maximus already looked pissed and Balthazar was quite sure that his comment wasn't the only reason. He was too old for these psychological games; actually he was too old period. "What's going on Maximus?"

The reply died on his lips as Artemis chose that moment to walk into the room. Sitting at her usual place she pretended she didn't notice the sudden heavy atmosphere that descended on the room, and greeted her Committee. "I'm glad you all could make it in such a short notice."

Dike let out a tired sigh, she wasn't interested in useless chit-chat, she was exhausted and the sooner they got to the point, the sooner she would be able to take a well deserved break. "You issued a G1 alert Artemis; it's hardly a surprise that all of us made it on time."

"We're all wondering the same thing Artemis, so be kind an enlighten us. What are we doing here?" Balthazar interjected before she had time to reply.

Artemis's gaze shifted between the three faces focused on her, Maximus had been true to his word, he hadn't told them anything and she guessed that would be the last favor he ever granted her. "We've confirmed Malik's participation in Hades' and Nyx' abduction, as well as the attack on the Fifth Division."

Demos knuckles turned white and he finally released his grip on the leather book he had been holding. "So we're positive that that bastard was the one behind it. Don't get me wrong Artemis, but that's hardly news, he was always our primary suspect."

She nodded and smiled at them. "We also have his current location."

She knew she'd timed the sentence perfectly, and silence once again reigned the room as everyone processed the meaning of her words. Of course Balthazar was the first to react, "And I suppose you already have a plan."

"Indeed. Four teams of SO squads to cauterize the location and terminate the hostile."

The idea of killing the man was beyond tempting, Balthazar couldn't deny it, but Joseph Malik was a crucial piece in solving a much more important riddle -- for them, and especially for the Elite. "Aren't we going to extract him for interrogation?"

Artemis' green eyes turned cold as she prepared herself for their reaction, "He has no valuable information for us."

Dike took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You just said that Malik was responsible for both events, so there's a chance he's aware of Nyx' location."

Artemis ignored the confrontational tone. "We have better chances of finding her through our contacts in the military. After all, Hades was inside Manticore all this time."

"And if you're wrong, we might lose her forever. She's the SIC of the Elite, and it's not your place to make that decision." The words took her by surprise, not for their meaning but for the person who'd spoken them. She'd assumed that Balthazar would be the first to support her plan to attack; apparently, the old man was going to prove her wrong.

"Malik has been responsible for more crimes than I care to count; eliminating him has been one of our primary objectives for years. I'm well aware of the risks Balthazar, and I'd thought that you, of all people, would've been the first one to agree that this is our best, our _only,_ option in this matter."

"But you seem to have forgotten that I like to clean up my own messes. Malik is our mistake; he is _not _the Elite's responsibility."

"I agree with you Balthazar, but an opportunity like this won't present itself twice. If we can end it for good this time, than we are obligated to do so." She didn't like it, and while she wished there could be another way, Dike knew that it was too good to let pass.

Demos sighed loudly, "Without Malik Red Eagle is leaderless and vulnerable."

"This isn't just about Malik anymore, he's trained an army, and they genuinely believe in his ideals. You don't erase an ideal by killing the messenger; if we kill him we'll be turning a serial killer into a martyr." Maximus was growing increasingly concerned by the direction the meeting was moving in – it certainly wasn't going as he'd expected it to. While Balthazar's position was a pleasant surprise, Dike and Demo's disregard for the cost of the operation was unnerving him.

"If we kept him alive, they'd just keep going. You know there's nothing more dangerous than hope in a battle, Maximus. Besides, even if what you said were true, the Elite would have no problem dealing with whatever leadership Red Eagle had left without Malick." Dike replied before Demos could.

Balthazar grunted at the turn of the meeting. "And how, pray tell, are you going to convince them to do it? Don't forget that we're talking about potentially killing their SIC in the process. If she's in that facility, she won't make it out alive."

Dike sighed tiredly, "They don't need to know the specifics."

"Dike, we're not talking about a group of untrained children anymore. They're not going to buy just any story we feed. And there's Hades to consider as well. How do you propose we explain to him that we chose to kill his SIC in order to clean up one of our own mistakes? For that matter, _who's_ going to tell him?" Balthazar posed the questions no one had answers to and waited to see who'd be willing to answer them.

"We don't even know if she's still alive." Artemis voice was cold and dismissive, speaking as if the person in question no longer existed.

"Your attitude is disgusting, Artemis and if you value your life you will never dismiss the life of one of our own in my presence again." Maximus' tone was vicious and for a split-second he saw as a glimpse of hurt crossed her eyes.

"We must vote. All in favor raise your right hand."

One by one three hands were raised. For the first time in his life, Maximus despised the hierarchy that allowed the Committee's to issue commands to the Elite – this should never have been their burden to bear. Maximus' eyes bored into Artemis' green ones; absent of the concern and loyalty that had previously shone in them, all that was left behind was a look even colder than the disregard he reserved for strangers. "I hope that all of you will be prepared to face the consequences of this betrayal."

Balthazar watched in silence as their former SIC spun on his heel and stalked out of the room. He'd never expected to see the day when Maximus would turn his back on Artemis. The board was set and the players had chosen their sides, the seemed game was about to start. "It's a reckless decision Artemis, are you prepared to lose them all?"

"I'm not going to lose anyone." She snapped haughtily.

As he studied her, his hand moved to the handle of his cane, caressed the carved features of the lion's head. "Be mindful my lady, lest you suffer the same fate as the scorpion that stabs itself in the back."

Artemis nodded stiffly at his words. "Your objections have been noted Balthazar, if you have nothing else to add. . ."

Balthazar pulled himself up slowly before walking to the door, balancing his weight on his silver cane. "I don't condone killing family members Artemis."

The heavy doors swung shut behind him, allowing the remaining three members of the Committee to start planning the operation that would be taking place in less than 16 hours.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"_Shall we go?" his German accent was barely noticeable. He'd improved his linguistic skills drastically during the last year and was able to conceal his accent almost perfectly._

_Maximus had never seen Artemis look so fragile, as he looked at her he didn't saw the Elite Commander but a scared little girl trying to find the strength to lead them. Moving his hand to her shoulder had been an unconscious action, one he realized about when his hand connected with her shoulder and her eyes expressed her gratitude. "It'll be ok. I'm by your side." _

_His blue eyes gazed right into her green; and he made sure that she could see trust and concern he had for her. He would always be by her side, no matter what._

"_Will you promise me something?" Her voice was the softest he'd ever heard it and so quiet that he had to turn around to make sure she'd actually spoken. _

"_Do you even need to ask that?" He prods with a small smile._

"_You have to promise me. Promise me that if I ever do something to hurt the people we're protecting, if I lose sight of what's important, you'll stop me." Her eyes have turned a stormy gray and he can feel how important this is to her._

"_I won't let you hurt anyone. But I don't think it will ever come to that." He accepts the responsibility she's offering him and he gives her the support he can in return._

_She doesn't hesitate in preparing for the worst. "But if it does. . ."_

_He offers her a broad grin and offers his arm to guide her to the meeting. "It won't." _

Blue eyes looked out at the distant Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the marble panels glowing under the light of the full moon shining through the wispy clouds. "I won't let you hurt anyone. But I don't think it will ever come to that." His voice broke the silence as he closed his eyes to better remember the girl he'd made that promised to.

_Oo0oo0ooo0oo0oO_

_**Osaka, Japan  
Sunday 09:30 am**_

His eyes were locked on the information displayed on the screen in front of him. He'd read it three times already, but the words and numbers still didn't make any sense. Finn wasn't going to like it, not one bit. As if on cue, the man in question entered the spacious office with a murderous look on his face. Biggs rolled his eyes, it just wasn't fair – the man was already in a bad mood and he hadn't delivered his share of bad news yet. Someone up there must really hate him.

Biggs wisely decided to apply the 2nd rule in the "How to Survive Your CO's Temper" pocket guide, 'when delivering bad news, plan a suitable distraction and retreat quickly.'

With this goal in his mind, Biggs made his move. "So, how was the meeting?"

Finn leveled a glare in his direction and Biggs raised his hands in surrender. As he thought about it, it occurred to him that using that question to break the ice probably hadn't been a wise idea.

Finn sighed tiredly and let his body crumble over the sofa. "The meeting was fine; the call I received after the meeting was the problem."

"How is he?" Biggs couldn't quite keep the eagerness out of his tone.

"He's fine. The last report indicated that he'd taken the news better than we expected him to. He's not the problem, when has the man ever been a problem?" Finn's tone bordered on sarcasm as he rubbed his eyes and realized what the other man was attempting to do. He really wasn't in the mood for more bad news today. "What had you wanted to tell me?"

Biggs cursed his bad timing and Finn's uncanny ability to read him. "Sir, there're some anomalies in the parameters for the Blevitch Agenda."

Finn felt the beginning of a headache as Biggs started his sentence with 'Sir' and he'd bet that it'd be bona fide migraine within the next five minutes. He heaved a sigh. "What kind of anomalies?"

Biggs took a deep breath before answering. "Apparently, we're dealing with misplaced resources."

Finn hunched forward on the couch and shot a disbelieving look at his SIC. "Come again?"

"Three of the SO squads we were supposed to use as backup are missing. AWOL for the last three hours according to the 4th's report."

Finn's outraged expression would have been priceless if it hadn't been instantly replaced by a murderous glare. "Can't anyone do their bloody jobs today?"

_Oo0oo0ooo0oo0oO_

_**San Francisco  
Saturday, 18:30 pm**_

They'd spent the last two hours in an unnerving silence. Alec hadn't spoken a word since he'd stepped out of Stone's office and informed her that the man was no longer a threat – that he might never been. The single shot Alec had placed between the man's eyes would lead the police to believe it was an execution, which it _was_,though the odds of the men in blue ever finding out who was responsible were almost nonexistent.

CeCe bit down on her bottom lip, killing a man hadn't been on her list of things to do today.

A quick glance at her watch told her that it had been two hours, seven minutes, and fifteen seconds since the last time she'd heard her own voice. Silence usually didn't disconcert her like this, but it wasn't an everyday occurrence to be on a mission with your CO who'd been missing for two years and had only recently recovered from amnesia either. That Alec had killed the man responsible for the situation he found himself in was understandable, but his uncharacteristic silence afterwards was worrying her.

She'd already decided to give him a while longer to break the silence himself. But, knowing how stubborn he could be, if Alec decided to continue giving her the silent treatment, she wouldn't hesitate to take matters into her own hands. She knew that she needed to try to get him to talk, though she hadn't decided quite how she'd manage to do that yet. As she suppressed a sigh CeCe couldn't help but feel that she wasn't the right person to help him, her short year as a member of the D1 hadn't exactly prepared her for this type of thing. The pensive look on Alec's face was starting to make her question whether the dead man back in the office was the only reason for his silence though. What could she possibly say to get him to talk?

Alec had sunk down to sit on the rooftop they'd been standing on, his back and head pressed against a ledge and his left leg dangling perilously close to the edge. His eyes followed the people on the street sixty floors below him, his enhanced sight allowed him to see every detail, though he chose to see them as small dots scurrying around at a frantic pace. The higher the place, the better perspective he would get. It made him feel small, and reminded him that in the grand scheme of things he was just another dot scurrying about. It also made him feel at home. Rooftops reminded him of her.

_He's thirteen before he finally realizes how much things have changed – how much he had changed._

_It had taken him a while to accept that he was no longer one of them. He'd chosen this life but at the same time it had chosen him. It shouldn't have been like that, wasn't planned or expected, but in the end that was how it was – desperate times call for desperate measures and all that. The Committee had acted quickly, reaching a unanimous decision in less than an hour – at barely twelve years old Alexander had found himself officially elected to the position of Commanding Officer of the Elite and head of the D1. It had been unexpected only because it was supposed to take place six years later._

_In the end it didn't matter how close the Elite members had been, as time passed it was inevitable that their own hierarchy would draw them apart. It had been frustrating and ironic when subordinates started to call him 'sir' every time they spoke to him; but it had been shocking when his own team started to call him by title as well, not with the hint of humor they'd had in the beginning, but with respect in their eyes. Things were changing and there would be no turning back. _

_Sometimes he couldn't recognize the image that looked back at him from the mirror. His eyes were one of things that had changed the most, gradually losing every trace of innocence only to be replaced by an air of maturity far beyond his age. The face in the mirror exuded strength and self assurance, but sometimes the only thing he wanted was to throw caution to the wind and act his age. He's never regretted his decision though; this was the best thing for all parties involved._

_His new responsibilities were taking their toll on him, and he realizes that he's started to subconsciously distance himself from them. Realistically, he'd known that the position would take time to adjust to, but he hadn't expected the amount of pressure and stress he felt on daily basis. Eleven months after his promotion and he's nearly ready to snap._

_Alec levels a glare at the stack of papers in front of him. The number of profiles he has to check and approve never seems to change and he'd been working on them for at least two hours already. He's starting to feel a distracting pressure behind his eyes and knows that it's the beginning of a headache. Today's going to be one of those days, his schedule is packed with field training exercises and he's left with only an hour to complete work that he conservatively estimates will take at least five. Why hadn't anyone ever mentioned the amount of paperwork this job required?_

_The sound of his door opening prompts him to look up from the latest file. And he knows that the fierce look in the blue eyes of the girl stepping into the room isn't a good sign. She walks casually into his office wearing her standard pair of fatigue pants and a gray t-shirt, though today she's also sporting a white bandage around her arm. It goes unsaid that she's just finished a drill, though it's unusual for her to be injured. He vows quietly to himself that he'll find out what happened as soon as he gets some free time. What comes as a bigger shock than the bandage on her arm is what she says as he finally glances up at her. _

"_I need you to come with me." She sounds like she's pleading._

_Having known her practically all his life, he knows that when he looks at her face he inevitably ends up looking into her eyes. Unfortunately, he also knows that if he happens to be looking into her eyes when she's using that tone, it usually ends with him agreeing to whatever scheme she has in mind -- no matter how crazy it might be._

_Alec chooses wisely to keep his eyes fixed on the printed sheet in front of him. There's a chance that if he just ignores her long enough she'll get bored and leave him alone. "As you can see, I'm busy right now."_

_She rolls her eyes dramatically, "Do I need to remind you that all of us have our days scheduled from 0500 to 2230? Besides, this will only take 10 minutes." She wasn't playing innocent anymore. In fact, she sounded slightly upset that her ploy hadn't worked._

_Alec is tempted to look up if only to see if she's as annoyed as she'd sounded. But he knows that that could be exactly what she wants, so he stubbornly keeps his eyes glued to the page he's been pretending to reading. "Do I need to remind you that I have other obligations now?" he'd meant it jokingly, but he would've sworn he heard a groan. _

_She gives up on reasoning with him as the question leaves his lips, opting for an alternate strategy. She crosses the short distance between them and presses her fingers against the pressure point at the base of his neck before he has time to react. The betrayed look he sends her lasts barely a second before he's unconscious; the attack so unexpected that he'd never raised a hand to stop her. _

"_Actually you don't, I'm quite aware of that." She whispers pulling his body upright from his chair. Supporting his weight she walks back to the doorway where she's met by Finn and Biggs, and passes Alec's dead weight to them._

_Biggs sighs as he supports his CO's left side, "He's going to be pissed when he wakes up." _

"_Really Sherlock? Wow… you're a really smart guy." Finn's sarcastic retort comes from Alec's other side as they start dragging the dead weight forward. _

"_Moe, Curly less talking, more action. Move guys!" Nicole scolds as they continue towards the emergency stairs._

_Biggs groans as they reach the fifth flight of stairs. "Why would you possibly choose the roof? This place has six fucking floors. Couldn't we have just tied him to the chair?"_

"_Stop whining like a little girl Biggs, we want to get him out of the office, not keep him inside." Finn glances down as Nicole slaps his arm. _

"_Hey! I'm a girl." Nicole points out indignantly. _

"_But you're a cool girl. Biggs isn't cool… Hey, are we even sure he's a boy?" he adds the last bit in a conspiratorial whisper as they're approaching the door to the roof._

_Biggs stops on the last step glaring at Finn and feigns outrage. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" _

_Nicole rolls her eyes fondly at the lieutenant's juvenile behavior. "Just leave him against the wall guys, I'll take it from there." Biggs and Finn maneuver their unconscious commander's slumped form over to where Nicole had pointed before leaving, still bickering childishly about nothing in particular. _

_She sighs before turning back to the prone form on the floor. Pressing her fingers against his neck again, she takes a step back as Alec starts to regain consciousness. _

_His vision is hazy as he opens his eyes, but as his sight clears he realizes that he's been moved to the roof of the building. The luscious green of the pine forest spread beneath him takes his breath away as he stands to study the landscape with a small smile curving his lips. The cool breeze makes him feel more alive than he's felt during the last couple of months. He closes his eyes and concentrates on how the wind feels against his skin, he feels free._

_Her voice takes him by surprise; she sounds frustrated and more than slightly pissed. At him, he wonders? He found her anger quite ironic considering that it had been him who'd been abducted. "You know you don't have to do everything on your own, right?"_

_He raises an incredulous eyebrow, about to tell her that he's perfectly aware of his responsibilities – responsibilities like the pile of paperwork that he should be doing right now. But she beat him to the punch and continued, "You don't need to cut everyone out. You're our CO, we all knew it was coming, but we're still a team too."_

"_I know." Alec snaps quickly. What the hell was she doing – lecturing him? And if she was, then _why_? He resists the urge to sigh, he should be in his office right now using his time to finish all the stupid paperwork that keeps backing up._

"_Really? Well it sure looks like you've forgotten something, 'cause you've been doing a great impression of a one man army." The harsh words are accompanied by a gust of wind that knocks him off balance. _

_His eyes snap up and catch the silver sparks in her midnight blue eyes. His tone is dangerously calm "What the hell is wrong with you?! First you knock me out and now you're challenging me?"_

"_You. Your attitude is what's wrong."…her reply leaves him speechless and she takes a deep breath before continuing quietly. "There's a reason you have a SIC and two lieutenants. Believe it or not, the stooges are more than capable of handling the job. And so am I. How long are you going to keep pushing us away? We're supposed to work as a team." She studies him trying to gauge his reaction, but when he remains silent she sighs, "You're going to get yourself killed if you keep this up, Alec." She walks away to sit on the edge of the roof, staring out at the forest with her back turned to him. _

_It takes him a few seconds to grasp the full meaning of her words. He feels stupid; he's supposed to be smarter than this. For someone who's supposedly a prodigy, he could be pretty dense sometimes. He'd spent the past months overstressing himself, trying to prove to everyone that he was ready for this, capable of handling the position despite his age… And he'd nearly driven himself to collapse in the process. He'd forgotten something that should've been obvious, the D1. He'd never been expected to do everything on his own – Maximus had hinted as much two months ago, but he'd misinterpreted the comment for criticism and merely redoubled his efforts to prove himself. Fine job he'd done too._

_He sighs quietly to himself, people say that the first step to solving a problem is to recognize that there _is_ problem, well he just had. He needs to ask for help when he needs it. _

_Nicole is perched on the edge of the rooftop, staring unseeingly at the pine trees of the forest, when he crosses the three feet separating them. He squeezes her shoulder before dropping down to sit next to her. She glances in his direction and finds him as lost in the view as she'd just been and her lips curl into a knowing smile. Finally, things were getting back on track. _

_His voice sounds amused as he watches the SO squads beneath them practicing on the firing range. "Of all the places you could have come up, why the roof?"_

"_Perspective. The more distance you put between yourself and a problem, the better the solution you'll be able to come up with. Up here there's nothing above you but the sky, no limits at all. The rest of the world seems small and irrelevant… Besides, it gives you one hell of a view..." Her gaze finds Biggs and Finn wandering around the training grounds obviously in the middle of another spat. They'd even managed to drag May into it, and Nicole can't help but laugh at the expression on the short-tempered redhead's face. The boys should know to leave May out of their quarrels; it always ends the same way, with one or both of them injured. _

_Alec follows her line of site and chuckles at the scene. When he glances back up, there's a playful glint in his eyes. "You do realize there will be consequences, don't you?"_

_She closes her eyes and grins, feels the wind pick up around them. "I knew that it'd be worth it. You're the most insufferable CO I've ever met." _

_He snorts at her irrepressible nature as he lies down on the rooftop floor. The sky is blue and the sun warms his face. Closing his eyes he takes a deep breath and feels the tension unwind from his muscles, it had been a long time – probably years since – he'd had time to take a break in the middle of the afternoon. The light pressure on his chest followed by the vanilla scent that fills his nostrils can only mean that Nicole had decided to use him as her pillow. Things will be ok, though it didn't mean that he had to let her go that easily. _

"_I'm going to need those profiles by 1800." _

_There's a quiet gasp and he cracks one eye open, peeking in her direction to get a glimpse of her face. The pout on her lips complements the astonished look in her eyes. Alec grins widely as he adds. "Feel free to ask Moe and Curly for their help, but you'd better hurry up… May looked ready to kill at least one of them." _

Alec opened his eyes and watched as the last of the sun's rays slowly disappear between the buildings. The sky was growing darker and in less than an hour it would be completely black. He and CeCe had to board a flight to Seattle in less than two hours; San Francisco had given him some of the answers he'd been looking for, but at the same time it had raised even more doubts in his mind. In the end, everything came back to one place, Manticore; he was less than thrilled about needing to go back.

He had spent the last two years of his life inside the walls of what had been Manticore's Seattle facility, and he'd never felt the sense of trepidation that he was feeling now. Obviously, the last time he'd been there he hadn't been aware of a lot of things, not even his real name, but that didn't explain the new apprehension he felt. He needs to know the truth even if he's fairly certain that he won't like what he finds out. He needs to know why he didn't fight them, how he'd been able to he lose himself so completely and literally forget everything else.

He needs to know that she's alive, that he'll find her soon.

Alec's eyes rolled of their own accord as he met the eyes of his blonde companion. In all the years he's known her – practically all his life – the idea of CeCe playing mother hen to him had never crossed his mind…until now. The blonde had been watching his every move since they'd left David Stone's office, and he suspected that if he were to ask her how many times he'd blinked in the last hour she'd be able to tell him with accurate precision.

While he might be able to understand why the blonde was a little on the edge, he was also certain that he didn't need a babysitter. Yes, he'd had some problems earlier, but they'd all been expected side-effects of the deprogramming process. At least that's what she'd told him. Besides, he wasn't comfortable being watched so intently, the feeling of someone breathing down his neck was unnerving him and there didn't seem to be any reason for it.

Stone was a target he'd sworn to eliminate almost two years ago, the rules of engagement in Stone's particular situation stated that he was a hostile witness who couldn't be allowed to disclose what he knew; Alec had simply been completing his mission. Whether CeCe agreed with his decision or not was her choice, but both of them were aware of the danger Stone had presented – leaving him alive had never been an option.

He closed his eyes and remembered the man's words, in a twisted way everything seemed to fit. The inexplicable failings that had plagued previous missions started to make sense, and a feeling of uncertainty crept into his mind. Things were proving to be more difficult than he'd expected; it was time to get a second opinion.

"I need a secure channel to your CO", there was a playful tone to his voice, and CeCe's lips twitched up in response.

"I'll make the call, sir." she replied instantly, her fingers already entering the long combination into her cell phone before she offered the device to him.

The line picked up after the second ring, and before the person on the other end had a chance to say anything Alec's voice sounded clearly through the receiver. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Alec made sure that he sounded amused as he tried to imagine the look on the face of his former First Lieutenant.

Alec heard a loud crash in the background followed by lots of startled and concerned voices all talking at the same time. Most of it sounded like English, but with an accent, and Alec could have sworn he heard a couple of Japanese words in the middle of the cacophony of sounds.

Finn cursed himself for not checking the number before answering the call. Noticing the eight pairs of eyes watching him with a combination of surprised and worried expressions, he sighed and smiled at them as he made a show of replying loud enough for them to hear.

"Hello, mother." The combination of the two words provoked ironic grins and knowing chuckles from the people surrounding him, as they turned their attention back to their respective tasks and left the English photographer to deal with his family issues.

Alec laughed at the greeting. "And here I thought you missed my wonderful company. This is such a sad moment."

"Of course I'm fine mother, you're overreacting." Finn replied dryly as smiled at the girl giving him the last folder; he turned around and strode towards the elevator, having completely missed the blush on her face.

"You know, I was half expecting to find you among my welcome back party." Alec replied as he watched the stars start to twinkle above San Francisco.

Finn sighed at the observation as he exited the elevator, entered the office and locked the door. "I was needed elsewhere. You were a priority but not the only one."

Alec chuckled at the reply. "I know. Been there done that." He heaved a heavy sigh before he continued, "I need to know if there was someone else besides you that knew about my last mission."

"Demos and Perseus knew the mission parameters. They'd profiled the original mission, but only Thanatos and I were aware that you and Nyx were going to be replacing the SO members." Finn replied racking his memory for any detail he might've forgotten. He opened his laptop and logged onto Prometheus private network, checking to see if Biggs had found anything to explain how they could be missing more than twenty agents.

"So it was Perseus all this time." There was a hint of disappointment in Alec's voice and Finn raised his eyes from the screen concentrating entirely on the conversation, a white wall greeted his worried look and he groaned at not being able to see Alec's expression.

Remembering what Alec had said, Finn focused his attention back on their conversation. "What do you mean?"

"The mission was compromised. They'd had access to our data for the last five months prior that." Alec replied watching how the night covered the sky and the lights of the city illuminated the streets and buildings around him.

Betrayal was not a feeling he was used to and Finn was sure that if the man responsible hadn't already been dead he would have gladly killed him. In a way, it felt like a family member had decided to sell them to the highest bidder. Rage coursed through his veins and the temperature of the room dropped a couple of degrees.

"Perseus was one of the casualties during the attack on the Fifth Division's HQ" The pen he had been holding snapped in two and Finn took a deep breath in an attempt to regain some self-control.

Alec glanced at his watch, 18:30 pm, CeCe had mentioned something about a 20:00 flight. "Find all the information you can about Red Eagle and Joseph Malik."

The sound of the keyboard was the only reply for a couple seconds before Finn's voice interrupted the silence, "Not much about Red Eagle and even less about Malik. It's a small terrorist faction from the middle east."

Alec grit his teeth at the reply, he knew there had to be something else and there could only be two reasons for the lack of official information; the Committee had no clue about Red Eagle, which was something he highly doubted, or the Committee was deliberately withholding information for some specific reason. If it were the latter, it could only mean that the Elite had been deceived by the people who were supposed to advise them, it would be a devastating betrayal.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his neck absently, "There should be more. Malik knew too much about Prometheus and the Elite. He had to have had previous knowledge about us before contacting Perseus. Clear track, how about a team of C5 from the Crystal Tower under Protocol 10?"

"It's manageable. I should be able to organize them and have some results in the next hour." Finn's reply was automatic as he typed commands quickly into the laptop.

"Search the archives, twenty or thirty years back and if possible using a shield matrix. Let me know how it goes." Alec toyed with the possibilities, turned them over in his mind, and if the search ends the way he thinks it will the only conclusion to draw would be that the Committee had moved the files somewhere else. He guessed that if that was the case, he'd have to go straight to the source to get the information he needed and that was not going to be pretty.

Finn's voice brings him back, as the two words sounded clearly in his ear. "Yes sir."

There was a tense silence as both men realized what had happened. Somehow during their brief conversation their ranks had been reversed and for a short time it was like Alec had never left. Finally, a soft chuckle broke the tension and Finn recognized the amused tone of his friend. "You're the CO now."

"Only because you took a holiday. Haven't you learned anything, Hades old chap? We don't get holidays." The light tone of the conversation successfully distracted both men from the awkwardness of the situation.

CeCe gave him a signal and Alec realized that their time was almost up – long phone conversations were a quick way to get caught. "We'll talk later."

"It's a date." Finn had been aiming for 'deal' but the sudden appearance of the young messenger in his office forced him into a last minute change. When had knocking become too much to ask?

Alec groaned at the choice of words. "God forbid."

Finn rolled his eyes and plastered on a fake smile for the young girl holding a package and a signature pad. "Bye mother."

"Consider yourself disowned." Was the short reply and the line went dead.

Oo0oo0oo0ooO

_**Seattle, Max's Apartment  
Saturday, 18:30 pm  
**_

Max's face was settled on top of her crossed arms and her eyes kept trailing to the lonely vial resting in front of her. The last of the sunlight reflected off the crystal and made the red liquid inside glimmer.

After they'd freed themselves, she and Logan had end up walking in the direction of the town the redhead had indicated. Getting transportation back to Seattle had proven to be more complicated than they'd expected and Logan had ended up calling Asha. Thankfully, the blonde had had no problem driving there to pick them.

While they had been waiting for her to arrive, Logan had broached the topic of the cure… or at least the possibility of having the cure.

"_Do you think is real?" He asks her as he holds the vial up for inspection._

_How could she possibly know? "I don't know. I hope it is, but it doesn't make sense. Why would she want to help us?"_

_Logan runs his hands through his hair, "You know she had a point. What difference does it make why she did it?"_

"_Because it could be a trap." She snaps testily as the waitress delivered more coffee._

_Logan's refuses to be deterred. "We can have it tested. Elizabeth can do it at the hospital and you mentioned a lab guy who'd been working on it. Max, maybe this time it's for real." He sounds so hopeful that it makes her feel horrible for not sharing his enthusiasm._

_She tries to muffle her sigh, "I want this to be real, but I don't want to be disappointed. Not again." Her brown eyes lock on his blue ones, pleading for him to understand._

And now she was back, back in Seattle sitting in her apartment and watching the vial as they waited for the results. Dr. Shankar had said she'd have them by the next day, her lab guy had said 6 hours. Max was equally nervous and excited by the possibility of being able to touch Logan again. But another part of her was wondering if she really wanted to move their relationship forward. They'd spent a year dancing around each other, and she realizes now that she'd only started to act on her feelings when she'd thought she'd been running out of time. It hadn't ended well, she'd died and when she'd come back they'd had to deal with the virus.

If the vial in front of her was in fact the vaccine for the virus it would leave her no more excuses. Was she ready to start a real relationship with Logan Cale? Or more importantly, did she even want to have a relationship with him?

"Girl, you borin' holes in that glass." Cindy sounded worried, and 'worried' might have been an understatement as she noticed Max in that almost-comatose state.

Max sighed dejectedly, muttered "It could be the cure."

Cindy's eyes widened at the statement and she looked at the vial suspiciously. "Ain't that somethin' good?"

"I guess." Max wasn't sure, so she was trying to be honest. She guessed that it was a good thing.

"Max what's really goin' on?" Cindy asked as she took the glass and held it in front of her face. The vital seemed harmless, almost insignificant.

"I don't know anymore." A lone tear trailed down Max's cheek and Cindy put the glass back on the table before she hugged her friend.

"Sh…it'll be a'ight. Now tell me what happened…" Cindy prods gently as Max starts to tell her everything that had happened the last couple of days.

Ooo0oo0ooO

__

_**Osaka, Japan  
Sunday, 12:45 pm**_

Biggs suppressed a shiver as he stepped out of the elevator, the whole damn floor was freezing and by the clueless look on the face of the disheveled technician, he hadn't been able to find out why the 11th floor had suddenly turned into the North Pole.

He let out a deep sigh and cursed his luck, of all the Sundays of the year they'd had to choose this Sunday, when the whole staff was frantically trying to finalize the last details for a special anniversary edition.

Yes, it had been his fault for messing up the dates, and surprisingly enough Finn hadn't cut off his head for that mistake, but he'd gotten his revenge when he'd declared that they'd all be working from the office next weekend. The man was heartless when he wanted to be.

Walking with resolve he knocked on the door and waited for the reply, which came in the form of a curse in Italian. As he stepped inside the office Biggs decided that if the whole floor was the North Pole, the office was the Ice Fortress.

"Check it again. I don't care how long it takes." Finn's expression was grim and Biggs questioned his sanity for entering the lion's den. Finn rips the headset from his ear before hurling the device across the room; emerald green orbs fix on him expectantly.

"Not to be overly critical, but I suggest you lay off the winter wonderland theme." Biggs pointed at the window panes covered by a thin layer of ice.

Finn took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, both men stay silent for a couple minutes as the temperature slowly starts creeping back to normal.

Biggs took the opportunity to weigh his options, slow or fast approach? One way or the other the man wasn't going to be pleased by the results of his investigation. "Hmm, you were pissed when I left but I get the feeling that something else happened in my absence."

Finn shot him a perturbed look. "Lots of things happened while you were out. What did you find?"

As always Finn cut straight to the point and Biggs checks the position of the door in case he needs to make a fast exit later – with Finn's changing temper one never knew. "On the bright side, I've found the SO teams; however it seems that we don't have clearance to the mission's profile, and when I say 'we' I mean the D1."

"I see." Finn's eyes are cold.

There's something unsettling about the way Finn's gone emotionless that Biggs finds deeply alarming. "And when I walked in you had been chopping someone's head off because…", he asked.

Finn stood up and placed the laptop in his bag alongside a couple of files. "Let's get out of here."

"It doesn't sound good." Biggs commented as both of them walked outside of the office and toward the elevator.

"Trust me, it's not."

Ooo0oo0oo0ooO

The silence inside the dim room was interrupted by the soft tap of the cane against the wooden floor with every step the older man took.

"What's the master plan?" the man asked, amused brown eyes fixed on the screen.

If the glare didn't make it obvious, the annoyed tone was intended to make it clear. "What makes you think there's a plan?"

"Do not insult my intelligence Maximus. I'm less than thrilled with the latest turn of events and I don't want the Elite breathing down my neck after they find out. And I'm quite sure that they_ will _find out."

"And you want to help me?" The question was accompanied by an elegantly raised eyebrow that made his blue eyes look slightly larger.

A groan was the first reply from the older man as he stood next to the German, "I'm here, aren't I?"

The man studied him sizing his motives. "You're here, but you also enjoy confronting her all the time. What makes it any different this time?" Maximus had been positively surprised by Balthazar's reaction, but he needed a real motive for the other man's sudden interest.

Balthazar sighed tiredly, "I don't want to see her dead."

Maximus nodded and pulled out a chair. "Have a seat."

Ooo0ooo0ooo0oooO

_**Seattle's JT Wilson Private Airstrip  
Saturday, 23:00 pm**_

The flight had been uneventful and they'd even entertained a small conversation for part of it, but something told her that it had only been the calm before the storm. There was something different in his eyes, something brewing in the hazel depths.

"We're heading back to my place tonight, right?" CeCe's asked softly as the plane started to descend.

Alec smiled at her, and just as she expected to hear a confirmation, his voice shattered that hope. "I'll swing by there later. I need to do something first."

She knew that tone, it meant that he wasn't going to change his mind; that he'd do whatever he wanted to do regardless of what she had to say. So she opted for the next best option. "Need some help?"

"No." His voice left no room for argument and she heaved a sigh in defeat. Sometimes, the man could really be frustrating as hell.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He knew she was following him, had known about it since they'd left the airport. The cool rain falling on him is the only thing actually keeping him in control, cooling his temper and preventing him from acting on the urge to turn around and have a few words with her. He has more important things to do, but first he needs to lose her. As he sped down the lonely road he heard her in the distance as she also increased speed. This game of cat and mouse might have been entertaining when they were kids, but at this point it's nothing more than a distraction and he doesn't have time for distractions, not now.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

CeCe stared at the empty road ahead of her, seeing nothing but darkness. Where the hell had he gone? Grabbing her phone from her pocket she dialed the familiar number.

The greeting was harsher than she'd expected, but she knew that speaking with him was her only chance if she wanted to get anywhere. He asked if they had arrived and she had to bite her tongue to keep the sarcasm out of her answer. "Yes, we're back."

Neil had spent the last ten hours reading all the files he'd gotten from Cale's apartment, his eyes were gritty and the only thing he wanted to do was to close them and take a well deserved rest. He fell on his bed completely dressed and before he'd realized he was asleep, the shrill sound of his cell phone woke him up.

His mind was basked in fog and it was a miracle that he even recognized her voice, he wasn't sure what he'd asked but probably it hadn't been too smart on his part judging by the tone of her reply. Slowly his brain cells started to function, "Is he staying with you tonight?"

CeCe glared at the dark road at his question, how could she answer that? Not exactly, I'm not quite sure where I left him? Right, that would go over wonderfully… Eventually, she opted for the closest thing to the truth. "Actually that's why I'm calling. He said he had something to do first…"

"Tell me you followed him." Neil was instantly awake as he waited impatiently for her answer.

Her voice was tinged with anger at his unsubtle insinuation. "Of course I followed him, what were you expecting?"

"Well where is he?" He demanded, annoyed by her attitude. He'd realized a long time ago that it was easier to deal with her if he was slightly angry at her.

She kicked the bike's tire in response, "Do you really think I'd be calling you if I knew?"

"I'll be there in 10 minutes." He replied jumping off the bed and grabbing his car keys.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

His boots sink a little lower with every step he takes; the middle of a wet forest was not the best place for a midnight stroll. When he finally arrived, the place looked exactly as it had the last time he'd been there. As he starts a slow circle around the perimeter, his steps guided him towards the west and eventually he stopped in front of what had been the medical ward.

Closing his eyes he concentrated on the images he associated with the place. Lights, bright lights always turned on and lasers burning his retinas. Needles inserted under his skin, the cold steel surface he was strapped to was where he spent most of the time, trapped, drugged, and surrounded by people who talked about him but not to him.

He needed to go further back, to remember what had happened before that.

_They'd been in this place for three days; at least that's what he estimates since he's been in and out of consciousness during the whole time. He's only seen her for brief amount of time when they'd both been interrogated by the blonde woman, usually that took place in the afternoon while the rest day they were used like favored lab rats of the mad scientists who ran this hellhole._

_Today had been different, there hadn't been an interrogation and the doctors had spent more time with him, poking and prodding his body. But this time the feeling had been different, he'd ended up feeling lightheaded. It was obvious that they'd drugged him and it doesn't make any sense, so far they'd been conducting their experiments while he was fully conscious. _

_The drugs are stronger than he'd thought, and he has to fight against the fog threatening his mind, he can't let them win. He only needs a day to recover and he'll be able to burn the place into ashes, but he needs to keep her safe first. The plan is simple, regain his strength, find Nicole and made sure she's safe, then burn the building to the ground. He's so tired tough, even if he'd tried there's no way he could've put up any resistance against the guards that dragged him through the corridors and throw him unceremoniously into the cell. There's a voice in the distance, and for a second he thinks he knows who it belongs to, but he can't be sure, the fog is getting thicker... _

_His fingers are soaked in a viscous liquid, instinctively his eyes open and he tries to piece together where he is but everything seems blurred and he can't get his eyes to focus. The first thing he notices is the color staining his fingers, it's dark red, and there's no doubt in his mind that it's blood. Slowly his eyes follow the red river's path and he feels his heart beating faster, two meters away from him a body lays sprawled awkwardly on the floor, the head facing the wall and the only thing he's able to see are brown locks matted with blood. _

_His fingers press against her wrist searching for a pulse even though he knows it's too late, she's not breathing. Her skin is cold, as if she'd spent hours under the snow. His hand moves under her head and he carefully turns her face so that he can see it. _

_There is a ripping pain in his chest that makes breathing impossible. He feels something breaking inside of him as his stares uncomprehendingly into the woman's crystal blue eyes. He can't say anything; doesn't know what to say. He just stares down at the dead blue eyes of the woman he loves. He loves her, he's pretty sure. She looks so vulnerable, fragile… Broken. Her lower abdomen is completely blood soaked though the wound isn't bleeding anymore; she'd bled to death. His tears fall silently, his brain slowly starting to provide the details of what had happened and he feels sick as he realizes that he's the one responsible. _

_The sound of footsteps brings him back to the present and he stands in front of her body defensively. Six soldiers have their guns trained on him; his body moves instinctively and he attacks them violently, the sound of broken bones and agonized cries filling the room. He slams the last guard into the wall and takes his gun before shooting him in the face with it. As the blood loss from the injuries he's received finally forces his knees to fold beneath him his body falls to the floor. He feels dizzy and isn't able to focus anymore, the light is too bright and he crawls to be next to her even knowing he doesn't deserve that right anymore. _

_His glances at her one last time, this wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to protect her. They were supposed to be together. The pain is unbearable, both physical and emotional, his body goes numb and he can feel his soul slipping away, dying with her. Any will to fight he'd ever had vanishes as he sinks into unconsciousness. _

_The next time he opens his eyes he's strapped to a steel chair, a red laser burning the retina of his left eye as people around him take blood samples. He doesn't feel anything, and though he assumes he must have done something to deserve the punishment, he can't remember what it was. How had he gotten here?_

_The steel door opens and he listens to the sound of heels against the metal floor. A woman in her early fifties stands in front of him, her short blond hair giving her face a hard edge._

_Her lips are moving though it takes him a couple seconds to process what she's saying…"Welcome back 494." _

To be continued…


	16. The Boy Who Wasn't There

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author who is me. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** I know this time I'm late even by my standards and in order to make up for missing October's update I come bearing a longer chapter. Thanks a lot to Larabiehn and storminite who reviewed last chapter and thanks to all of you took a couple of minutes to leave a review. Criticism is always welcomed, take a minute of your time and leave a review.

Last but not less important…thanks to Jenna, grammar will be a serious issue if it wasn't for you. Without further delay, enjoy chapter 15 – "The Boy Who Wasn't There" –

* * *

**_Chapter 15  
The Boy Who Wasn't There_**

_**San Francisco  
Saturday 18:30 pm**_

The man was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and an equally dark shirt, trying to appear casual as he waited by the door, the sour expression on his face broadcasting for all to see just how unpleasant he found his current predicament; the woman standing next to him was also wearing casual clothes, a carefully blank expression on her face, as she scrutinized the events taking place inside the large room.

Kane Sullivan tapped his foot impatiently against the wooden floor, uninterested in wasting what was left of his Saturday waiting for the forensics team to complete their examination. Christine Nichols on the other hand, merely found her partner's childish antics distracting. . . Not to mention annoying. Glaring in her partner's general direction she couldn't help but chuckle at the innocent expression he'd adopted, the man was a lost cause.

Nichols sighed and turned back to check the team's progress in the other room. David Stone's murder had created complications for a powerful group of people in the higher echelons of government, they wanted the case solved and closed, and they wanted it done as soon as possible. But drawing on years of field experience, it was her opinion that the crime scene was far too clean for this to be a simple open and closed case. Not even the forensic team's specialists had had any luck in their efforts to retrieve viable evidence, and by the discouraged expressions they were all wearing she wasn't the only one with doubts.

"What are we doing here?" Sullivan's deep voice rasped against her ear, making her jump slightly; pulling away from her partner she wondered how the idea of personal space could be such a foreign concept for the man.

"This guy was under federal surveillance and there's evidence indicating that he might've been connected with a small faction in the Middle East." She replied calmly.

Kane groaned at the reply, "And let me guess, political BS means that we're the ones who're stuck cleaning up the mess?" Sullivan would admit that he'd seen a lot of things since he'd started working for the Bureau, but one thing that always pissed him off was the infuriating world of the political bureaucracy.

Christine nodded and marched briskly into the crime scene as the head of the forensics team gave her the all clear, "I think Washington actually chose the people they wanted to dump this mess on right after the news was made public."

Quirking an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic bitterness in her voice, Sullivan trailed behind his partner watching as the body of the former CEO of _Stone & Heinrich Security _disappeared from the view, one of the technicians sealing the body bag. It was ironic that no matter how rich you were in life, in the end, you'd end up reduced to nothing more than a cold body in a bag.

Both agents quietly surveyed the office, noting that the valuable objects placed decoratively around the room reflected the taste of a man who – even according to his employees – spent most of his days sitting behind his desk. The sound of approaching footsteps makes them turn, finding four men dressed in the typical black suits of government agents standing in the doorway

"Agent Sullivan, agent Nichols, we'll be taking care of the investigation from here." The man who spoke was in his early thirties and by the deference the others were showing him, was probably the man in charge.

If there was anything that irritated Christine Nichols, it was someone trying to cut her out of the loop on a work related issue. "What do you think you're doing? This is a federal crime scene."

The man, who'd been admiring the Van Gogh on the north wall, seemed to be amused by her ire. "I'm quite aware of that agent, that's why the NSA will be taking care of it." The twist of his lips might have been labeled a smirk, but it was anything but a pleasant expression.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kane hadn't been aware of any reason for the NSA to be interested in this case, so the question became whether or not they were bluffing or it was just a last minute development.

Taking a white envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket the interloper presented the pressed white paper to the pair. "This is a signed order from your Director, you're to stand down. From this point forward this investigation is under NSA jurisdiction, your presence is no longer required."

Christine couldn't believe what she was hearing and while she understood the situation it didn't mean that she was going to take it without a fight. "Look agent…"

The man gave another fake smile, displaying a perfect row of white teeth while the look in his eyes remained cold and calculating, he was clearly used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. "White, special agent Ames White. Now if you'll excuse us..." Turning around after dismissing the FBI pair, White started to bark his usual orders. "Let's get started, I want the footage from the security cameras for the last five days, employee schedules, call logs…"

Powerless against a direct order from the Director of the FBI, Sullivan and Nichols trudged towards the elevator. "The nerve of that man… Just because he's NSA, that doesn't give him the right to act all high and mighty." Christine growled as she jabbed at the elevator's buttons.

"Actually, it kind of does. He's NSA, Nichols, what did you expect?" Kane grumbled, deciding that this could be a good thing for him – now he was free to enjoy his Saturday.

"At least we got a name."

Her tone made it clear to him that she was already dreaming of ways to get revenge against special agent White. Just to confirm his suspicions, Kane resigned himself to asking the inevitable question. "And just what are we going to do with this name?"

She grinned at his worried look. "We're going to find out why David Stone's death is being declared a threat to national security."

"We'll get suspended. Or worse." He sighed.

"Only if they find out." She glibly brushed him off, a plan already taking shape in her mind.

_**Ooo0oo0oo0oo0ooO**_

_**Osaka, Japan  
Sunday, 13:00 pm**_

When they'd been kids Nicole had called him the worrywart of the group. At the age of seven it wasn't the kind of label he'd wanted associated with his name, but the girl could be unbelievably stubborn, so despite his every protest the hideous word had stuck and been used regularly to describe him ever since.

After her disappearance, the word had left a sour taste in his mouth whenever he heard it. That had been why he'd stopped using it – it made him think of her and the time they'd spent together. They'd been good friends, maybe their relationship hadn't been as close as the one she'd had with Finn or Alec, but he liked to think the she considered him a friend. When they find her, and he has no doubt that they _will _find her, he'll finally be able to agree with her, admit that he is indeed a worrywart and all the worry she's caused him has probably taken ten years off his life. He imagines that she'll reward him with a knowing smile and her cobalt eyes will shine, yeah it'll happen just like that…

Finn raised an eyebrow at the goofy expression on his SIC's face, by some miracle Biggs had chosen to remain silent after they'd left the building, and by the looks of it he was currently lost in his own thoughts. It was rare to see him like that, even if he could be a sarcastic pain in the ass, it had been a long time since Finn had seen such genuine emotion on the other man's face.

As they waited for the traffic light to change a sudden movement caught Biggs' attention, caused Finn's back to tense slightly as he sensed it too, they were being followed.

"It's been years since they've tried something as careless as that. Should we be offended or grateful?" Finn's words dripped with sarcasm as they descended the stairs to the subway station.

"I'll go with the first option. We're being tagged by rookies, it's insulting." Biggs replied, following two steps behind the other man's lead, putting his body between the strangers and his CO, it was standard procedure.

"Probably new recruits if their lack of training is so obvious… Unless they've decided that the best way to tail someone is to get themselves noticed." Finn sneered disdainfully as the doors of the shuttle opened and an elderly couple stepped off the train.

"CIA or MI5?" Biggs offered as they moved towards the last car.

The Elite commander couldn't help but ponder over the strange coincidence; he'd learned years ago that coincidences were almost never as random as they seemed at first glance. "Neither. I think this might be something new. We can always take a sample and find out. Isn't that right, Thanatos?" He couldn't help taunting his SIC with the challenge.

Biggs's eyes glowed with interest, he nodded and doubled back to retrace his steps. He spotted a man barely a couple of years older than him trying, and failing, to follow them discreetly – he had to bite back a laugh when the guy walked right into him. Biggs knocked the stranger out with a single blow, dragging his unconscious form until they reached the last car of the train, he made it just before the doors hissed closed.

Finn usually enjoyed taking the subway on Sundays, especially at this time of the day; people tended not to take the train this early in the afternoon and it was always easy to find empty cars like the one he was standing in. After disabling the alarm, he pried open the outer door, jumped off the shuttle and waited patiently for his SIC, they had 56 seconds left before it would start moving again.

With eight seconds to spare, Biggs shouldered his unconscious charge and leapt down from the shuttle, and joined his CO before they turned to start the trek down the narrow walkways lining the tunnel. "You almost ran out of time. It shouldn't have taken that long." The comment made the SIC roll his eyes in annoyance, but he preferred Finn in a bad mood to Finn in a sadistic mood. Both options were a pain in the ass, but at least with the former he wouldn't have to worry about mind games.

They walked in silence for ten minutes, using the shadows for cover when a train passed. Finn searched the wall looking for something; as he found it, he brushed aside a rusted metal cover plate and typed a code into the freshly visible wall panel. The camouflaged door opened almost silently, an incredible feat considering that it looked like a decrepit section of subway tunnel wall. The hallway it had been concealing wasn't long, but the large door at its end was modern and had a gleaming access panel.

"Nicole and Alec put the space left over from the section of tunnel that collapsed in the earthquake to good use." Finn said by way of explanation; though the place they'd found themselves in bore little resemblance to an abandoned subway tunnel. He paused at the second door, typed another set of codes into its electronic lock and waited for it slide open, "You can leave sleeping beauty here; we'll take care of him later. Right now, we have things far more important to deal with."

_**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**_

"I get the feeling that whatever it is, I'm not going to like it." Biggs declared brazenly, dropping down to sit on the abandoned platform.

A dangerous red sparkle glinted in Finn's emerald eyes. "Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing your reaction."

Biggs felt himself tense at the reply, it had been a while since he'd seen Finn this worked up about something, but this time was different, Finn isn't the same eleven year-old-boy feeling powerless to stop the events around him. The man sitting next to him was one of the most powerful among the Elite, his orders would be followed without question, but that didn't automatically make his decisions the right ones.

"Alec's and Nicole's last mission was compromised from the start. Perseus provided them all of their intelligence. Remember all those glitches in the profiled missions those last five months?"

"The Lars' incident too?" Biggs asked, dreading the answer.

Finn nodded somberly. "The attack on the 5th Division was the last."

"How did it happen? No one has ever broken through our security protocols. Our systems are state of the art." Biggs' voice sounded unsure as he tried desperately to deny this awkward new reality.

"The answer is less complex than you'd imagine and lies in the fact that humans are always flawed."

"What do you mean?"

"The most dangerous enemies you'll ever have are the ones who take the time to study you and search for your weaknesses; when they find them, it's too late, you're at their mercy and the game is almost over. That's what happened to Perseus, they found his weakness and rather than asking for our help he chose to play their game. You know how it ended."

"The 5th Division attack – who were they?"

"Red Eagle. Have you heard of them?"

Biggs' confusion was written clearly on his face; he considered his response before hesitantly offering, "I don't think so."

"Guess who _did _know about them."

Shock, surprise… And anger. "The Committee." It wasn't a question so much as an accusation, words spoken with disgust.

"Red Eagle isn't listed in any of our databases, but it's in the CIA's, which is an unprecedented anomaly. Alec suggested a Protocol 10 from the Crystal Tower. When you came to the office earlier I was talking with Miles, they've found what seems to be original documentation but I requested that they recheck everything before we make a decision."

It seemed surreal, like everything he'd thought he knew had been nothing more than a lie. Betrayed by their own kind… Where was the logic of it? What could the Committee possibly gain from this? Biggs' knuckles whitened as his steely grip tightened on his gun.

"I'm not going to get drawn into guessing games about why this happened, it's useless and we don't have the time for it. We need to focus on what we know, what we can prove. The fact is that they withheld vital information and as a result both of our commanders were captured, it's inexcusable and I'm not going to let them get away with it."

"Then that means that the meeting with the Committee two days ago, James Ackerman and Senator Crane, the tapes from the DARPA HQ… They were all lies?"

"At this point I'm not sure of anything they've told us, but the probability of the government involvement is high; after all, we know how the system works.

Brown eyes sparkled with barely suppressed rage. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing. Not until we find out what they're trying to accomplish. For now, we have to maintain the status quo for appearances sake." Finn replied in a tone that left no room for a protest.

"And later?" Biggs' tone was almost hopeful, clearly he wasn't any more willing to let them walk away from what they'd done than Finn was.

"For now, just worry about the present. One step at the time." Finn couldn't help but add to himself _'When you calm down, and the desire to rip them to pieces has subsided, maybe we'll talk about it'._

_**Ooo0ooo0oo0oo0oo0**_

_He's sleeping when instinct has him bolting upright in bed, sitting with his eyes wide open and his mind fully alert. He feels __something twisting inside him, warning of imminent danger. Jumping from his bed he rushes to the room across the hall, his sister Annabelle who'd still been soundly asleep is understandably startled when he shakes her awake to make sure that she's okay. The seven year can't understand what's happening, and he can't find the words to explain his actions, his parents are going to be less than amused when they find out._

_That's when it happens; he hears the sound of boots running up the stairs to the second floor where the rest of his family is sleeping. He tries to move towards the door but a small hand stops him, silently begging him not to leave. Seconds later the siblings hear the terrified screams of their mother, more footsteps and the voice of their older brother Bradley; incomprehensible for an instant before the abrupt sound of a body hitting the floor._

_The screams stop and he can hear movement, closer every second. His sister is trembling in his arms and he's forced to keep his hand pressed gently over her mouth in an effort to muffle her sobs. He whispers that he'll protect her, that they'll be alright, but what he really needs at the moment is for her to keep quiet. _

_He can't believe this is happening, it feels like watching someone else's life. One moment everything had been fine and then all hell had broken loose. _

_Jason never knew that silence could be so unnerving. His eyes frantically scan the girl's room for a safe place to hide; the closet and the bed were the only available spaces and neither offered any real safety. The moonlight filters through the curtains and the window suddenly offers him another choice, there was an old oak just outside whose branches were just a few short feet away from the roof. If he could get them into the tree house, they could climb down and look for help…it was worth the risk. _

_Turning around he quickly relays his plan to his sister, carrying her on his back he informs her that no matter what, she shouldn't let go of his neck. Opening the window he steps up onto the window sill and out to the tiles outside, pulling the window closed after him; even if the action only buys them a couple extra seconds. He can hear the steps coming closer as he starts to move across the roof, trying to put as much distance between those men and them. _

_He uses nearly all of his attention to avoid slipping any more than necessary, his bare feet offering no traction on the tiles and he can feel the sharp shards of tile biting into his skin. He can hear the sound of windows opening behind him and wills his feet to move faster, but stumbles to a halt as he hears the distinct snap-click of a gun being reloaded, shoving Annabelle behind his body while keeping her hand firmly grasped in his. _

_The man's face is covered by a black mask and his dark eyes are fixed on the pair of children, lifting his gun he aims quickly and fires twice. Jason lunges to his left hoping to avoid the bullets' lethal impact, his scream pierces the silent night as one of the bullets finds his shoulder. Annabelle screams as she sees her brother's blood, she panics and manages to pull away from his grip taking off at a dead run toward the oak tree. She's taken two steps away from him when a bullet rips through her heart, her blood splattering his face as he watches her body collapses bonelessly. _

_The man's attention is drawn back to the injured boy, knowing that there was little time left before the police would arrive – his orders had been specific, kill the family, leave no one alive, and he will fulfill that mission. Adjusting his aim he readies himself to take the final shot, the kid's light blue eyes watching him with a silent fury, showing no fear of his impending death._

_Jason watches as the man aims the gun at him again, but his attention is on the dark blur that had suddenly appeared behind the man, a glimpse of silver shining in the moonlight. The man's eyes widen as a dark stain begins to spread across the front of his shirt, the gun falling from his hands as his knees give way and his body crumbles in front of him._

_The pain from his shoulder is suddenly forgotten, his blue eyes focusing on the figure that had appeared so suddenly on the roof. The girl looks younger than he is and is dressed completely in black, her dark hair flying freely around her face, and the gun dangling from her right hand might have been intimidating if she hadn't just saved his life and wasn't currently wearing an expression of deep concern. She placed her gun back in its holster and moves towards him slowly, but spins in a quick motion to shoot a soldier in the backyard that had been aiming towards the roof. She makes a show of replacing her gun in its holster before starting forward again._

"_Can you move?" her voice is barely more than a whisper, as if she's worried that he won't be able to handle it if she speaks any louder. _

_He nods and feels her arm grab his waist and helping him to stand and supporting his weight, "Trust me." He's about to ask what she means by that when she forces both over the side of the roof never loosening her hold on him. Logic tells him that the fall is going to hurt like hell, but when he opens his eyes he realizes that they're already on the ground. Another boy around his age walks over to them and gives the strange girl a signal. She sighs and places him down to sit on the grass placing something made of dark fabric on his shoulder and instructing him to keep pressure on his wound._

"_I'm going to ask you a question now because I can't stay any longer. Do you want to stay here, or do you want to come with us?" her voice has taken on a businesslike quality and he notices that the boy is watching them from the distance, waiting to hear his decision. _

_The truth was that he didn't want to spend another second in the death filled place that used to be his home, he wanted to forget everything that had happened in the last 20 minutes but he knows that he can't. Yes, he wants to leave, but he can't see any way of actually doing it, he can't leave his family…to leave then wasn't something he was ready to do, maybe he never would be._

"_I, I'll stay…" he can't bring himself to continue, the pain and realization that his entire family is dead is suddenly too much and he can feel the ache in his chest. _

_Her face softens as she nods in understanding. "I'm sorry. I'll try to check on you, just don't give up Zeke." _

"_My name is Jason." His surprise draws the words out of him even as she smiles at him and the sound of the sirens grows more distinct. Her hand brushes briefly over his cheek as she stands up and joins the other boy before they both disappear into the night._

_He didn't know it at the time, but what had happened that night would change his life in more ways than he could ever have imagined. _

_**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**_

_**London, Hollister Tower 26**__**th**__** Floor  
Sunday 05:00 am **_

There was a strange glint in the blue eyes of the young man sitting behind the desk; the barrel of the Glock 17 briefly touched his lips as he kept drumming the gun dangerously close to his face. Irregular strands of blond hair fell near his eyes and partially covered them from view. The man stood abruptly placing the gun in its holster and stalked toward the windows that dominated an entire wall of the office. He senses the city spread out before him continuing at its usual frantic rhythm, ignorant of the decisions that had been taken on its behalf.

He's pensive as he gazed at the date on the calendar. She would be missing his birthday this year. A smirk formed on his lips, he'd be sure to demand compensation when she comes back.

The staccato rap on the door informed him that something important must have happened for Abby to disturb him again. As he rolled his eyes at missing another opportunity to take a nap he finally grunted a reply. "Come in."

The woman who entered the office is wearing a troubled expression on her face and is carrying a crystal box. "Sir, we've got a Level 5 message under Protocol 41." The blonde nodded for her to continue as he moved to sit behind his desk.

The young Asian woman lost herself as she was absorbed watching the figure of her boss, her very young, very handsome and very irritable boss, who looked more like a fashion model than the brilliant hacker that he was. None of the people working in the Crystal Tower knew anything about him other than what had been written in the reports of his exploits before he'd come to work with them. When Zeke had assumed command of the Prometheus Data Center six years ago, no one had believed that the tall, athletic looking teenager with two silver earrings on his left ear could be the renowned hacker from the news. It had taken less than an hour for him to prove them all wrong.

The blonde raised an eyebrow as he waited patiently for Abigail's news, when it was clear that the woman was lost in some sort of trance he decided to interrupt. "Abigail, I'm still waiting to hear why you think this might interest me."

She snapped instantly out of her thoughts at the use of her full name. "We followed the usual protocols and decoded it. We were about to forward the message, but in light of recent events I think it would be best if you gave the final approval. The message is from someone inside the Committee and it's directed to the Elite's CO."

Blue eyes sparkled with a different light as he bit down on his lower lip. "I see. Please, tell Irene to come here immediately." Taking the box from her he added, "I'll take a look at it." She nodded and strolled out of the office without looking back.

Zeke shot the screen an amused look; four different codes had been used to pack the message and while the additional security might have been useful under normal conditions, he was anything but normal. He had to give them points for creativity; he'd never seen someone using Sumerian to encode the body of a message before. The ancient symbols scrolled across his screen, and the first thing he realized was that the values of the symbols had been picked randomly, meaning that it might take him a while to translate. But he wanted answers, he wasn't going to stay in the dark any longer.

_**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**_

Irene Stuart sighed for the umpteenth time that day as she continued her climb up the stairs separating the floor where the Class 5 Analysts worked and the playground of the Crystal Tower's controllers. All the Class-7 analysts worked on the 26th floor, though the man in charge up there had a reputation that was a much more effective barrier than the measly flight of stairs that separated them; that he'd been granted complete authority inside the building and the dangerous aura that he exuded only made him more enigmatic. Now that he's requested her presence, she can't help but wonder why.

**_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._**

The sight that greeted her as she entered the office was unexpected to say the least. The large oak desk in the center of the room clashed terribly with the white walls and the rest of the contemporarily styled furniture, and the man himself was standing with his back to her, looking out at the city through the large windows.

"The desk clashes with the rest of the decoration, doesn't it?" he asked as he turned his attention to her.

She almost choked at his comment, wondering if she might have spoken out loud. He chuckled at the guilty expression on her face. "Windows," he gestures, "reflections on the glass. I don't read minds despite what your colleagues might think." He added.

"I'm sorry sir…"

"What are you apologizing for? It does clash with the rest of the office. I lost a bet, so I ended up with that desk." He mentally patted himself on the back at her palpable surprise. By the end of the day he'd probably be the talk of the entire building seeing as he'd just had spoken more about his life than he had in the last six years.

"But I didn't request your presence just to critique my furniture. Please, take a sit Irene."

He was polite about it, but she recognized the order for what it was, as she sat down she also took the opportunity to look at him more closely. The first thing she noticed was how young he appeared to be, 22 maybe 24 years old at most. The bangs that partially hid his eyes drew her attention, and as he raised his gaze to look at her she felt her throat go dry as she realized how blue his eyes really were. "I understand that you ran a layered matrix search under a Protocol 10 earlier but that you're doing it again, why?"

His voice brought her back to the reason why she was there and she took a couple of additional seconds to think of a proper way to phrase her answer. "The Elite's CO, Erebos, requested that we recheck the data we'd obtained from the first search."

"Was there any indication that the data might have been corrupted?" He knew exactly why the verification had been requested but needed her to confirm it.

She seemed annoyed at the assumption and Zeke smiled to himself at her reaction; she knew that her work was immaculate, free of the mistakes that could compromise the files she worked with, and was not afraid to show her displeasure at being questioned. "None, sir."

He smiled at her and she relaxed slightly. "That will be all Irene, thank you for your time."

She nodded at him and walked to the door stopping in front of it but making no move to pull it open. "Somehow, the desk fits you sir, even if it doesn't match the rest of the office." Irene didn't wait for a reply before walking out the office with her cheeks flushed bright red. After his comment, she'd decided that she needed to get the last word in, and she just had.

Back in the office, Zeke smiled at the empty space the feisty brunette had just left. Picking up his cell phone he dialed in a very specific code and waited. He had a pretty good idea what was going on and if things evolved as he suspected them to, life would be getting much harder before it got any better.

_**Ooo0ooo0ooo0oo0ooO**_

_**Osaka, Japan  
Sunday, 14:35 pm**_

"That was the last time you pull a stunt like that with one of my people."

As he heard the voice Finn realized who was on the other end of the line. He hadn't expected the other man to find out about his special request so soon. "Long time, no hear Z"

"Don't patronize me Erebos, both of us know exactly what the other is capable of. You know that every Protocol 10 needs my personal approval, so how about we cut to the chase and you tell me what the hell is going on." Zeke's voice sounded as cold and harsh as his own when he was pissed off about something.

Finn sighed at the Crystal Tower's golden boy tone; most of the time that spoiled brat was too good for his own good. "Have you read the files?"

Zeke rolled his eyes, what kind of question was that? Of course he'd read the files, otherwise he wouldn't have been calling. "Red Eagle, Malik and any additional data on both of them. What's the connection?"

"Nyx and Hades' last mission." Finn waited for the words to sink in with the other man, and was shocked when he heard a loud crash come over the line.

Blue eyes stared unseeingly at the new hole in the wall as he placed the gun gently on the top of his desk, taking a deep breath he waited a couple of seconds before continuing with their conversation. "The Committee…what position will the Elite be taking on this?"

Finn watched as Biggs shot off another round at the abandoned wagon, he was clearly trying to vent his frustration without collapsing the tunnels. "We're standing by until I can confirm something else."

Zeke nodded at the reply, it made sense. The Elite had to think carefully about how they would proceed and what they would do with the knowledge. "How's your Sumerian?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Finn was used to abrupt changes of topic, but that one surprised even him and he wondered if the other man might be using a code he was unfamiliar with. The reply was more mundane than he'd expected.

"We have a message for you, Protocol 41 and it's in Sumerian. I'm sending it now…It's from one of them" Zeke added as an afterthought.

"What's the Crystal Tower's position?" Finn asked back the same question as he started downloading the message.

Zeke sighed disappointedly, "By now you should know where our loyalties lie."

"Glad to hear it." Finn replied, tension draining out of his tone. Confident that the Crystal Tower will back them up with whatever course of action they decide to take, it wasn't much of a surprise when the man in charge over there was so close to the Elite.

"It's amusing to know that we make you so proud…and Erebos, we're on the same side I won't tolerate another stunt like that." Zeke put enough sarcasm in his tone to make it clear that while they were fighting for the same cause he wouldn't allow the analysts to be overlooked.

"I know, I wouldn't expect anything different from you." Finn's reply was the closest he'd ever come to apologizing to the brat.

"As long as we understand each other, that's fine. I'll see what else we can find without creating too much havoc." Was the short reply before the line went dead.

_**Ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0o **_

_**Florence, Italy  
Sunday 06:00 am**_

Rubbing his eyes tiredly the man cracked his neck in a weak attempt to relax the sore muscles and relieve the tension he was feeling. The cup of coffee lay untouched in front of him, during the last five years he learned that even the things that used to make you feel good can become a hindrance when your body does not function as it used to. He remembered bitterly Adriano's Memoirs and the accurate description of how it feels to lose control over your own body.

"You didn't have to stay here." Maximus' voice brought the oldest member of the Committee back to the present, and Balthazar couldn't help but chuckle at the subtle worry he detected in the tone of the former SIC.

"Ahh, but what would be the fun in leaving?"

The reply was followed by the rhythmic tap of his cane against the floor, causing Maximus to roll his eyes at the childish antics of the older man. "If you're quoting Boreas now it's a clear sign that you should have taken a rest the first time I told you to. You even ignored the coffee."

Balthazar sighed as he toyed with the cold cup. "I did, but it's irrelevant; time doesn't stop for anyone Maximus, not even us. You've started to feel it too, right?"

"No one lives forever Balthazar, not even us." He replied calmly, his fingers gliding quickly over the keyboard in front of him.

The older man groaned at the reply, he already knew that he wasn't going to live forever – In fact, he didn't want to…he just didn't want to lose control of his own life and be conscious that it was happening. Taking a deep breath he opted for a timely change of topic, the current one was too depressing and needed no further explanation – both men knew what would happen in the end. "So what are we doing now?"

Maximus looked up from the screen with a raised eyebrow. "We changed the scenery and now we're waiting."

"That's all? We hide and wait? Damnit Maximus, we're getting older, but we're not useless yet…" the force of Balthazar's fist against the table sent the cup, plate and coffee that had been sitting in front of him flying to the floor, shattering the delicate porcelain.

A pointed look in his direction quieted the older man. "Keep your temper under control Balthazar; we're too old for this kind of action. The next move is the Elite's responsibility; we do nothing until they choose a course of action. If you're uncomfortable with that, you can stay here, I didn't request your presence or your help."

"Fine, we'll wait. Are you sure he'll understand the message?" Balthazar muttered in reply. Maximus was more than capable of fulfilling his threats and he wasn't interested in being left behind.

Blue eyes shone with amusement. "Erebos will have no problem with it."

The older man rubbed his eyes again, "We never should have let this happen."

"She was closer to the truth than anyone else…sometimes I wonder if things would've been different if I had told her the truth then." Maximus drank the coffee slowly as his eyes followed the computer's progress.

Balthazar's eyes widened at the quiet admission, "What are you talking about?"

Maximus' gaze grew distant as he started…"Almost a year before their last mission Nicole came to see me at Dirleton…"

_The thick forest surrounding the fortress of Dirleton was completely covered in a blanket of snow; it had been a couple of years since the last time they'd had a proper white Christmas. Maximus smiles at the scene spread out before him, he likes the smell of the cold. _

_Turning around he raises a surprised eyebrow at the unexpected sight of the girl lounging on his sofa, her hair still glistening with the remains of the snowflakes falling outside and her eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth. _

_He chuckles at her relaxed position and takes the chair next to the sofa for himself, "I wasn't expecting to see you Nyx, but by all means make yourself comfortable."_

_The girl smiles as she stands, crosses in front of him and plants a kiss on his forehead; the soft scent of vanilla making Maximus smile at her random show of affection despite himself. Within the Elite Nicole was probably the closest to him, even…after the mission that had nearly killed her. He had been responsible for supervising her training and without realizing it he'd become attached to the girl, an error that Artemis had pointed out several times before finally taking corrective action. That mission had ended with Nicole falling into a coma, an unscripted event included in a supposedly controlled test prepared for Alec and himself, but one that was deemed useful nevertheless. 'Emotional attachments were a dangerous liability,' it was a founding principle which Artemis had been determined to remind them of. _

_Looking at the young woman in front of him now, he feels a brief pang of sadness, the innocence that had shone from her eyes for so long had finally been extinguished. Her voice interrupts his trip down memory lane, "I was around and decided to check on you. By the way, the security in the complex is a joke, you should do something about it."_

_He smiled at her comment, for a member of the Elite any kind of security would be a joke. He had thought the same when he had been in her position. "I heard you were taking charge of the situation in Namibia?" he prods gently, redirecting the topic of conversation back to her – after all, it's obvious that she hadn't just decided to drop by arbitrarily, and this visit had nothing to do with social pleasantries._

_Her eyes sparkle with amusement, "You shouldn't believe everything you hear, but if it makes you feel better it's been taken care of. Minimal damage and no evidence, as usual."_

_He nods before turning slightly to pour himself a cup of coffee. "Do you want something to drink, you look pale."_

_Nicole graces him with an exasperated look, "It's cold outside and coffee will do." She replies glibly, eyeing the tray across the table_

"_Never bothered you before", he nods placing another steaming cup in front of her._

_She leans further back into the sofa, watching the black liquid silently before raising her eyes to him. "Do you remember when you told us about the Elite and why we were different?"_

_He sips his coffee contemplatively before nodding. "Yes, of course."_

"_You said that you were forced to rely on science because something had put the Elite's survival in jeopardy." The blatant, open ended statement gives him a sinking feeling as he realizes exactly where Nicole might be headed with the conversation._

_His eyes lock with hers as he sets his cup back on the table. "Where are you going with this Nyx?"_

"_Maximus, what if there are people outside of Prometheus with powers like ours? Maybe not as powerful as us, but similar?" she looks at him expectantly, watching and analyzing his every movement; he realizes with some apprehension that his finest pupil is now studying her teacher, it is disconcerting to say the least._

"_I would say that it's an interesting theory, but I'm afraid it's not possible.", he quickly suppresses the sigh gathering at the back at his throat, his own techniques being used against him like this is surely some sort of poetic justice._

_Her cerulean eyes harden at his response, and the strength of her gaze makes him question for a split second whether it might have been better to tell her the truth, though he knows that changing his answer now would only be more damaging. He can see the effort it takes to keep her tone even as she replies, "I know it's possible, which just makes me wonder why you'd lie about it. You're hiding something, and it will only be a matter of time before I find out what it is." She smiles then, the predatory upturn of her lips issuing a dangerous challenge. _

"_And what, if I may ask, raised your interest in that old story in the first place?" he stalls, retrieving his empty cup. _

"_Wouldn't you like to know? Thanks for the coffee Maximus, we'll have to do this again sometime." she blows a kiss before opening the window and jumping down. _

_Maximus stared after the half closed window, the shadows dancing through the snow outside, barely noticing the snowflakes that fly into the studio._

Balthazar remained silent for a long moment before daring to comment, "You think it's possible that she met someone on the outside?"

Maximus closed his eyes, if they considered the number of missions that the Elite were sent on and the number of people they interacted with, even for brief periods, the chance of an encounter like that was higher than they could afford it to be. While it might have been improbable, it wasn't impossible; and it was a variable that they had failed to take into account when they had trained the Elite for their role within Prometheus… "I know for a fact that she did. And I'm almost positive that he became a member of Prometheus."

"That's not possible, we would have noticed." Balthazar interjected harshly, the search for children with the powers, or at least the traits, of an Elite had always been a priority for the Committee even after the current Elite had been structured.

"We would have if he had joined one of the SO squads, but what if he was somewhere else?" Maximus gave voice to the question he had been forced to face four months ago.

Balthazar rapped his cane against the floor impatiently. "I have overseen every one of the Divisions at least once and I've never noticed anything out of the ordinary."

Maximus bowed his head briefly in acquiescence, that much was true, he'd also been to every Division and had paid special attention to their members but found nothing out of the ordinary – and that's how he'd realized what had been right in front of him the entire time. "Tell me, Balthazar, have you been to the Crystal Tower?"

A grunt was the only reply to his question, "You know the answer to that; the Crystal Tower is the Elite's pet project. Our presence there would have been considered a transgression…" and then everything made sense, Balthazar's brown eyes widened in comprehension.

Maximus nodded as comprehension dawned on the other man, "Exactly."

_**Ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0oooO**_

_**Osaka, Japan  
Sunday 15:00 pm**_

Finn's scanned the symbols on his screen, Zeke had told him earlier that it was Sumerian but at the same time wasn't. Maximus had sure chosen an interesting way to deliver his message, using a code only two Elite would be able to decipher on sight. He read the last part out loud without realizing what he was doing. "Fiat justitia, ruat caelum." (1)

Biggs approached him making sure that his steps were loud enough to be heard, approaching an Elite without advance notice could be fatal to a normal human and painful even for another Elite. "Even if heavens fall…isn't that a little bit overdramatic even by our standards?"

Finn glanced at the brown eyed man, gauged his mindset, and, satisfied with what he saw, ignored the question. "I see you've calmed down yourself."

Biggs let out a longsuffering sigh before sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. "I figured that you wouldn't tell me anything until I got a grip." Glancing at the screen he arched an incredulous brow…"Is that Sumerian?"

"Sort of." Was the curt reply Biggs received before the other man changed the topic, "We should confirm where our 'sample' came from?" Finn added as he closed the lap top and placed it once again inside his bag.

He knows that their next move will be decisive, which makes it even more imperative for him to consider every possible scenario before making any decisions. It should have been Alec's duty, not his…but at the moment he is the Commanding Officer of the Elite, making it his responsibility. Besides, there was always the firm understanding that Alec would skin him alive if he managed to screw up. Finn suppressed a groan as he felt the beginning of a headache, he'd never been the kind of guy to agonize over the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' of life, and he certainly wasn't about to start now.

Biggs couldn't help but worry at the thoughtful look on his friend's face; even just standing calmly the way he was, those green eyes still had golden flecks in them...the players were taking sides and the battle would leave no one unscathed. The revelation of the Committee's betrayal was something he was still struggling to comprehend; it was hard to believe that they had been stringing the Elite along for two years, prefabricating lies delivered perfectly to make everyone believe that they were all working towards the same goal… while, in reality, they had been nothing more than pawns.

He realized that they'd been sitting silently for several minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Biggs covered his worries with a hopeful look, "Can I do the honors?"

Finn repressed the urge to roll his eyes and nodded in confirmation instead. "We're leaving afterwards, so be at the airstrip by 1700. And Thanatos? Make sure he's still breathing afterwards." After a life of missions together Finn didn't bother to include obvious recommendations and Biggs was glad, they both knew the drill by rote and a single look from the man in charge was more than enough of a reminder, _'don't be late or you'll get left,' _though _'If you break it, you have to pay for it, so make damn sure you don't break anything,' _was probably his favorite.

Biggs nodded sharply and waited until Finn disappeared through the metal door before typing his access code to the room where the 'sample' had been left. The man was awake and was watching him warily. A dangerous smirk danced across the Elite's face. "Glad to see you're awake…I've got some questions and you're going to provide the answers. Oh, before I forgot, you do know this is nothing personal, right?"

Studying the panicked look on the man's face, Biggs' eyes sparkled with interest. "On the other hand, maybe you're right and it might be personal."

_**Ooo0oooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0oo**_

_**San Francisco  
Saturday 22:30 pm**_

"You know Nichols. This is not my idea of fun." Kane Sullivan complained lowly from his place in front of the door.

"I'm not making you stay Sullivan." Christine replied dryly, her attention never leaving the screen in front of her.

The man snorted. "You're joking right? I know whatever you're doing, it'll be ten times worse if you do it on your own…and I'll somehow get dragged into it eventually anyway."

For the first time since they'd snuck into the FBI building, she turned from the screen. "I'm not a child Sullivan, I don't need supervision."

"I know that, kids' problems are easier to fix." he snarled under his breath. Kane had had a bad feeling about the whole thing from the beginning; it was unwise to start a fight with another agency and admitting so had nothing to do with a lack of bravery. Put simply, this was a suicide mission, and by the time he'd run out of arguments trying to explain that fact to Nichols, he still hadn't been able to change her decision to go.

"Why don't you leave then?" she asked as she refocused her attention on the endless string of code in front of her.

He paused to consider that, it was a tempting offer after all. Why _was_ he still there? Well, for a lot of reasons really. First, she was his partner and, as they'd gotten to know each other she'd also become his friend; second, she'd risked her life in order to save his countless times and he wasn't going to let her get hurt, because even if the woman _was _a nutcase, he still cared about her. He considered his answer carefully, realized quickly that those weren't the answers she'd ever want to hear from him, and settled for the usual one instead. "Shut up."

She was doubtlessly about to unleash a scathing retort when something caught her attention, she'd successfully hacked into the NSA database. "And then there was light…"

He glanced halfheartedly in her direction, a worried expression etched firmly in his features. "You found what you were looking for?"

"Depends, I haven't found anything on David Stone, but Thomas Hathaway, the NSA's former Deputy Director of External Affairs, had requested a pretty specific search for an MI5 agent while he was in Seattle. Two days later he was demoted and transferred far, far away."

"You don't really think the search was the reason he was transferred, do you?" Kane asked the question, but suspected he already knew the answer, in power games of this magnitude there were no limits or rules.

"The MI5 is an efficient, ruthless bunch of people, and they've helped God and the other guy indiscriminately meaning that both sides are indebted to them. If they'd wanted Hathaway out of the game they only had to ask, and that seems to be exactly what they did."

Sullivan whistled softly as he listened to her suspicions, it had been the first rule they'd all learned, don't play with fire if you don't want to get burned. "Did you find anything about the agent?"

Christine checked the info on the screen before replying. "There's almost nothing about it here, all that data has been wiped with the exception of his name and the search location. Tyler Scott, 24 years old, stationed on Seattle, no address, no pic, nothing."

Despite the lack of useful information there was a glint of satisfaction in her eyes; being able to hack into the MI5 database had put a smile on her face, though she'd opted not to test her luck any further and she started to erase her trail. As she was about to close the program, a deleted message caught her attention; it was an interesting read, but her partner's deep voice forced her to finally close the last window and shut down the machine.

"So you think this 'Agent Scott' might be the key to explaining why Hathaway found himself kicked off the island? Nice story Nichols, but it doesn't do anything to explain the NSA's sudden appearance in our backyard." He tried to divert her from what was sure to be her next bad idea.

She chuckled at the transparency of his attempt before asking, "And whose name do you think is being considered for the recently vacated position?"

"Cold, and stuck up government type? …Might it be Special Agent Ames White?" He guessed with as much mock surprise in his voice as he could manage.

Christine chuckled softly. "Bingo."

"Great. Can we get out of here now?" he asked, pacing the length of the floor anxiously.

She huffed out an indignant breath as she pulled away from the computer and joined him by the door. As they walked down the empty corridors she couldn't help getting in the last word though, "Jeez Sullivan, you're worse than a girl."

Kane's glare was lost in the darkness of the corridor. "I still want to have a job in the morning Nichols."

_**Ooo0oo0oo0oo0oo0ooo**_

_**London, Hollister Tower 25**__**th**__** floor  
**__**Sunday 06:30 am**_

Ann drank her second cup of coffee as she re-read the events from the last six hours; working on a Sunday was even duller than usual and she used the reports from the last two days as her own version of the Daily News gossip column. Although this morning the best gossip had been from the inside rather than the outside, a fellow C5 had had a face to face meeting with the Crystal Tower's Controller and survived the experience.

It wasn't like the man was hideous, quite the opposite actually, and if she wouldn't know better she would have thought that Zeke was one of them. There was something about the young man that intrigued her endlessly and it had nothing to do with his icy demeanor or ruthless tactics. No matter how much he tried to deny it, sometimes she would catch the flashes of compassion sparkling in those blue eyes.

Eyes as blue as the sky.

An insistent beep from her computer forced her attention back to the screen. As she read the message her eyebrow arched skywards, there was definitely an anomaly if the latest information was correct. She sighed heavily to herself, two attempted break-ins within the last three days was more than just a coincidence, and quickly started working to isolate the rogue signal, determine, and mark its point of origin. A pout formed on her lips as she verified the search results, apparently this Sunday wasn't going to be as dull as she'd thought.

_**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**_

Abigail was checking the last details of her report when she got the message in her mailbox. Her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, reading its contents and running the program based on the specified parameters. She sighed in dejection as she realized what it was she was looking at; Zeke wasn't going to be happy…not at all.

_**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**_

_He wakes up screaming, breathing raggedly, covered in a cold sweat. He knows that his foster parents won't come to check on him, the first time they'd tried it he'd made it clear that he didn't want or need their help. His eyes adjust to the darkness slowly and he scans every inch of his room, the shadows making him nervous though he finds a small comfort in knowing that there is nothing wrong with the rest of the room. _

_His breath catches in his throat as he watches the figure facing the street that's perched on his windowsill, it's partially hidden in the shadow of the tree and he can barely make out the outline of black clothes. Could they have followed him? His hand slides under the pillow and wraps firmly around the handle of the knife he keeps hidden there, before moving slowly to get out of the bed. He doesn't get far before the figure turns around and he takes an involuntary step back. _

_Her hair looks shorter now, barely covering her neck, and she looks… fragile, broken… But he knows better. He'd seen her shoot two men in cold blood, but she'd also saved his life six months ago – he remembers that very clearly. Her lips form a small smile as she takes a tentative step toward him._

"_I was afraid you wouldn't remember me." Her voice is soft and her wide eyes give her an almost innocent look._

_He manages a mute nod as she glides closer to him until eventually she's standing directly in front of him, wrapping her arms around him and whispering in his ear, "I'm sorry." He can't tell if she's asking for his forgiveness for what had happened, though he'd never blamed her, or if she needed to be forgiven for something else. _

"_It wasn't your fault." He whispers back. He's not sure who's to blame, but he'd sworn over his family's graves that he wouldn't stop until he found the truth. The men who had died in his house had been nothing more than the pawns, and he wanted the person moving the pieces on the board. _

_She deftly slips the knife from his hand and for an instant he panics, she smiles reassuringly and places the knife back under his pillow. She crosses the room again to perch on window again. "I'll protect you now Zeke, try to get some sleep." _

_He was about to remind her that his name was Jason, only it wasn't anymore... The witness protection agency had changed his name to Michael, a name he despised. Zeke actually sounded interesting, different; maybe it wouldn't be such a bad option. He climbed back into his bed and watched her gazing quietly out the window, the idea that he safe was soothing and he's asleep before he realizes it. _

Abigail knocked twice before she entered the spacious office, she hadn't seen him leave so she knew that he had to be there somewhere. She took tentative steps forward until she found him, sprawled across the oversized sofa, one arm flung over his eyes and the other dangling off the cushions and brushing the floor, he looked like a kid. She cleared her throat to make her presence known and found herself looking down the barrel of a gun before the clock on the wall could announce the arrival of a new second.

He stood in front of her pointing the gun at her head, blinking quickly before apologizing and moving to place the gun back in its holster. The young man stretched his arms over his head before he took a seat behind the desk. Abby sighed in relief as she willed her breathing to return to normal; Zeke would never harm a hair on her head, but that didn't mean that the guy couldn't scare her to death. It had been her fault this time; he'd told her several times that sneaking up on him was forbidden for her own safety.

"Sorry." He repeated again, "So what was worth risking life and limb to wake me up Abby?" he tried to lighten the mood and graced her with a rare grin, eyes sparkling at the flushed expression on her face.

"One of these days boss you're going to be the death of me." She chuckled before quickly adopting a more professional attitude; business first, carefree conversation later…"Ann found an anomaly, someone ran a new search on Boreas' location. This time they hacked into the MI5 databases."

Blue eyes, still clouded with the remnants of sleep, regarded her almost blearily. "I understand that the first breach originated in Seattle, where was the most recent?"

"San Francisco, Sir."

Zeke rubbed his neck, silently cursing the couch he had had the misfortune of falling asleep on. "I find it hard to believe that the NSA would try something like that after the last time results."

"The latest breach was originated from the FBI Headquarters." She announced their latest bombshell.

Zeke's eyes clearly showed his interest at the latest development, "Go home Abby, I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure, sir?"

Zeke gave his assistant a quick once over, the C7 analyst looked exhausted, even more so than usual which something he would try to fix later. Abigail was one of the few people he considered close to him, even if he usually tried not to show it.

"Don't blow this out of proportion, you're practically asleep on your feet." He chided, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as she grinned in response, strolling out the door without looking back.

Abigail smiled to herself as she turned off her computer, Zeke was her self appointed work-in-progress; when she'd first met him, she had been amazed at how someone so young could be so cold and aloof. In fact, she'd believed for months that the kid was actually incapable of showing any kind of emotion other than impatience and boredom. But slowly and surely she had been making progress; he wasn't smiling and talking non stop with her, of course, but lately he'd grin at her more often and his eyes would hold more than just their usual coldness.

Behind the closed door of his office Zeke read the report displayed on the screen and muttered to himself "So, we have a new player." Picking up his phone he pressed in a number and waited until the person in the other side answered. "I need the security footage from the FBI HQ in San Francisco, I want everything you've got from yesterday."

**Ooo0ooo0ooo0oooo0oooo0oo0ooO**

_**Seattle, Sector 11  
Saturday 23:45 pm**_

There were sixteen of them including a bird, a moon and a spider.

The brunette sighed softly and started her count again. The dark spots on the previously white wall had been keeping her entertained, she'd counted all sixteen stains on the wall multiple times, and found that if she squinted she could make out the blurry figures of a flying bird, and a moon. She'd also discovered a lonely spider that had been working on its web ever since she'd first noticed it more than forty minutes ago.

The man had told them he'd be done in six hours, there had been no reason for them to appear in person, but the anxiety had them here, waiting uneasily for news almost a full hour before early. She wondered if maybe the exhaustion of the day was taking its toll on her, lately things seemed to be moving on slow motion or at least that was how she felt them. Rubbing her tired eyes, Max glanced in Logan and Jake's direction; both men apparently engrossed in an animated conversation to pass the time as they waited for the final test results.

She knew that she should be excited, eager, but most importantly, hopeful. This could be their opportunity for happiness, their second chance to have the 'real thing' they'd been denied so long, but she wasn't feeling any of the things she should be; it was with some derision that she realized that even in a situation like this she didn't react the way anyone else would. She was nervous, but not for the right reasons; she was eager to be miles away from this place and fervently hoping for a negative result. Standing less than 20 feet away from her was the man she loved, though she was beginning to doubt that she was still _in _love with him. Original Cindy had asked her that exact question and she hadn't been able to come up with an answer. Even now, she still can't.

Sometimes she wonders if the only reason she'd stayed in Seattle the first time Zack had ordered her to leave had been because of Logan or because of her friends. Now that she's thinking about it the answer is obvious, friendship was something she'd never experienced before her arrival in Seattle, and she hadn't been ready to give it up. Her friends became her family, for all their quirks they had accepted her and suddenly she hadn't been alone anymore, she belonged with them. Out of all of them, only Cindy had learned all of her story and accepted her status as an X5 without so much as a raised eyebrow; the outspoken woman had proven time after time that she couldn't care less about the fact that her Boo was a revved up killing machine. Max was Max and they were friends, nothing else mattered in her book.

And because Cindy's opinion was one of very few which actually mattered to her, Max had to give her friend's advice careful consideration. The woman's insight was certainly impressive, OC had always managed to pick up on things that even her superior X5 brain missed… Things like the attraction she'd been denying for a certain rogue X5.

A frustrated groan died in her throat, Max would admit that her timing was horrible; she couldn't have chosen a worse time to acknowledge those feelings. The last time she saw Alec they hadn't been on the best of terms… _"I already told you Max, I'm not your charity case, you don't have to look after me and I don't have to explain my decisions to you." _

Surprise didn't even begin to describe what she'd felt that day; somehow she'd ended up against the lockers with Alec's body pressed dangerously close to hers. Every detail of that short lived moment had been locked into her memory, the way his fingers held both her wrists, the strength radiating from him, the way his breath had caressed her skin and it had felt like she was drowning in those hazel eyes. If Alec had been his usual womanizing self he might have made a quip about her flushed appearance, but he hadn't. In fact, maybe he hadn't even been paying enough attention to notice. The worst part was that if he had tried to kiss her, in that moment she would have let him. Had he always had that power over her? Was she really so blind that she'd failed to notice it before now?

Maybe she was, or maybe not. Things were always complicated with Alec.

In the beginning, she hadn't been able to help thinking of Ben every time she'd seen him, and then as they'd started to interact with each other the differences between the cocky new X5 and her brother became too obvious to be ignored. Although she'd never denied that he was attractive since she first laid her eyes on him, it hadn't come as a surprise; after all, he was designed that way. Acknowledging that Alec was physically attractive was not the problem, but it was more important that it wasn't the only reason she seemed to be attracted to him.

Lust, she could deal with. Something deeper or more meaningful than that would only spell trouble for her. It didn't make sense, most of the time they were at each others throats. He's an insensitive playboy, immature, selfish, and arrogant – a screw up incapable of doing anything right. _Right?_ He's insufferable, and it's the only reason she's ever talked about him. _Right?_

Still, every time she'd called he'd come, complaining all the way maybe, but he'd always been there to help her when she needed him. When White's men had caught her, he'd come back for her. He might've screwed up the cure at one point, but he hadn't asked her to give it up. She could have let him die; it was would've been fair, he'd tried to kill her after all…but she hadn't been able to do it.

There were so many things she didn't know about him. Ignoring him was easier, fighting with him and blaming him for everything was easier than trying to understand his motives. Maybe she'd always suspected the type of power he could gain over her and that was why she'd kept her distance. At least, it had been until now.

Hew newfound awareness of the problem was like an opened can of worms, and no matter how hard she'd try she'd never be able to get all of the worms back inside and pretend it hadn't happened. She'd learned the hard way that there was no turning back once you've been faced with the truth, but it made her wonder what she was going to do now. She still cares about Logan, she doesn't doubt that, but things hadn't been the same after she'd returned from Manticore, maybe it was because of the virus, or maybe it wasn't. One way or the other she can't help but wonder if caring about someone is really a good enough reason to start a 'real' relationship with them – she isn't sure that she even wants that type of relationship with Logan anymore.

.-.-.-.-.-.-

He'd been watching her quietly and he wondered what she could be thinking. In the last six hours he'd been recalling all the moments they'd spent together, their first encounter, the quid pro quo work arrangement and her initial stubbornness to accept it, the dinners at his apartment, the arguments over jobs, Max had turned his life upside down and he could only be grateful for it.

In a few more minutes this nightmare would be over and they could finally be together. They were going to get their happily ever after. A contented smile settles across Logan's features.

**Ooo0ooo0ooo0oooo0oooo0oo0ooO**

_**Osaka, Private Airstrip  
Sunday, 16:58 pm**_

The young man sat quietly in the waiting room, he took a sip of his coffee and looked briefly at his watch before immersing himself in the book he'd been reading for the past half hour. Finn rubbed tiredly at the bridge of his nose and wondered where exactly his SIC had gotten off to; the man was running abysmally late for the second time that day.

He'd spent the last hour reviewing all the data they'd been able to collect so far. Maximus had sent him coordinates, though the Committee member had refused to provide any information about what they might find at the location. He figured that whatever was going to happen it would have to be soon, hopefully only hours, a day at the very most; Biggs wasn't the only one running out of time here. Still, the only information he had was the place, there was no timeframe and no background, and absolutely no way to create a profile.

What could have so much relevance that it had compelled a Committee member to use a code he'd taught them when they were kids? He knew Maximus well enough to understand that whatever was going to happen, he wanted them to stop it before it started. But what could be so important? And more importantly why should they help the same organization that had been lying to them all this time…

With exactly fifteen seconds to spare a disheveled Biggs came sprinting into the complex colliding with another passenger and reacting too slowly to stop the ordinary from tumbling to the ground.

Finn heard the commotion and set his book down, bemusedly turning to see his SIC apologizing profusely to a middle aged man who he'd apparently run down. He got the suspicion that whatever animal had been mixed into Biggs' DNA cocktail, there was no possible way it was feline, the guy was a klutz. As Biggs escaped his personal bowling pin, a man in a dark suit moved to greet him, prompting Finn to stand and follow after them, their jet was ready. Biggs shot a sheepish look at Finn and shrugging his shoulders by way of explanation.

Finn rolled his eyes at the absurd gesture; this was going to be a long flight.

_**Oo0ooo0oooo0ooo0ooo0oooo**_

_**London, Hollister Tower 26**__**th**__** floor  
**__**Sunday 07:30 am**_

The man stared at the frozen image of a couple, the poor light had made it difficult to get a shot clear enough to be used in the image analysis program, they'd needed to clean it up some but he'd eventually been happy enough with the results. Though rather than providing the answers he'd been looking for, he'd merely ended up with more questions.

Why were two FBI agents involved? What motive was there for David Stone's murder? He had had doubts whether Stone had been executed by an Elite, but the lack of evidence collected by the authorities and their baffled expressions had been enough proof to confirm his suspicions. But then again, why had they killed Stone? It was infuriatingly circular logic, but the man hadn't been in their database, an oddity making it unlikely that the Elite had ever been previously interested in his affairs. And the Elite did not kill randomly.

After starting a multi thread search through the databases of the CIA, FBI and NSA Zeke stood up and shuffled over to his coffee machine. God bless Nicole and her incredible idea to send it to him, even if he suspected that she'd had her own reasons for the gift; after all, she was addicted to coffee. Walking back to his desk with a steaming cup in his hand, Zeke's eyes widened at the results on the screen.

'_Subject under surveillance, confirmed connections with Red Eagle operations inside North America' _

That was certainly unexpected. It was time to see the situation from a different perspective, a closer one. Picking up his phone he pressed the keys slowly. "Get ready, we leave in two hours."

_**Oooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0oooO**_

_Almost two years ago…_

_**Seattle, January 2019  
Manticore, Psy Ops Facilities**_

Robert watched as his patient's chest rose and fell rhythmically, being fed through IV lines for nearly two months without any type of physical activity had taken its toll, and the young man looked thinner…almost fragile. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who'd killed six armed soldiers in less than two minutes.

A smirk slowly formed on his lips, 494 was his personal challenge, a puzzle far too complicated for most people – but then, Robert Fanning was not most people. The thrill and excitement of having his own Pandora's Box waiting for him to unleash all of its secrets was intoxicating.

_**Three months later…**_

The machines attached to the young man's body were the only sound in the room. The heart monitor and EEG's monotonous beeping kept time for the doctor wearing the pristine white lab coat, and despite the black shadows under his eyes and disheveled appearance, there was a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes as he glanced at the monitors. A content sigh escaped Fanning's lips as he checked the young man's progress, everything was moving according schedule just like he'd said it would.

Hastily writing down his latest instructions on the chart, the doctor took a moment to inspect his patient. There were a few details that still needed attention before the subject could be revived, and the ghostly pallor of his skin was one of the most obvious. Five months since his capture and X5- 494 was nearly ready to be re-introduced to Manticore.

The subject, X5 – 331845739494 to be precise, had been more valuable than they'd originally thought. They hadn't even known he was X5, so the results of the initial DNA tests had shocked both the medical and military staffs. That analysis had clearly shown faint traces of the original X-series genetic markers, although 'faint traces' was perhaps too strong a term to use considering the fact that Manticore's enhancements had been extensively filtered and improved – used only as a template for the final product which was currently strapped to the examine table. Whoever had made the alterations to Manticore's design, Dr. Fanning had to admit that the result was a piece or art.

When he'd started working on 494's case he'd been determined to uncover all the secrets of the subject's unique DNA sequences; it was his goal, and he was well-accustomed to getting what he wanted. However, he'd been wholly unprepared for what they'd uncovered as the days gradually turned into weeks. It became increasingly clear that, for perhaps the first time, his goal might be unattainable. The unique situation he'd found himself in had proven that some things were out of even his reach – and one of them was 494.

It was impossible to create an accurate genetic map of 494's DNA and while they had some understanding of the segments that had been enhanced by Manticore, the majority of it remained a mystery. In all his years of practice, Fanning had never seen anything like it; 494's cell structure changed continuously, mutating and re-structuring itself. The test results were never the same twice and there was no way to accurately interpret the readings that they had managed to take.

Director Renfro had been livid when she was informed of 494's particular situation. Fanning wasn't sure if she was angered by the fact that she couldn't get the answers she wanted from 494, or if it had something to do with the recent visit of some high ranking military officials. And so their quest had begun, though the decision didn't make much sense to him, Renfro had declared that he was to turn 494 into a completely unremarkable X5 during a five minute meeting. Every test result and file pertaining to 494's capture was destroyed; any evidence of 494's unique physiology erased.

The first stage had been intended to eliminate 494's additional physical features, however the task had been harder than they'd expected and rather than eliminating those features they'd mostly been forced to use chemical suppressors to disable them on a temporary basis. It had taken Fanning three long months to stabilize 494's reactions to the cerebral inhibitors they'd needed to administer just to restrain the additional abilities they'd seen demonstrated. The missing barcode at the back of his neck had proven to be another headache, it had been wiped out of his DNA, and while Fanning trusted his experience to solve a problem seemingly as simple as that, something had warned him against doing anything drastic. Manticore accepted his equivocations and settled for the old fashioned way, tattooing the mark that otherwise would have been genetically encoded.

Fanning's next task had been to block all of the young man's memories, replacing the missing information with facts Manticore had provided; 494 was to receive a new life based on carefully crafted lies, and a meticulous combination of drugs ensured the process' success. Now, there was nothing left to do but take care of the small details and revive their sleeping beauty.

_**Seattle, May 2019  
**_

His eyes were fixed on the scene taking place below as the white coated figures finished reconnecting all the monitors to the subject who was now strapped to a steel chair.

"Heartbeat and brain activity are normal." his assistant informed him in a mechanical tone.

Robert watched the nervous faces of his team, the wide eyes and clumsy movements, all of them aware of what was at stake today. If things went the way they were supposed to they would live to tell the tale, if they didn't, well, there would be no reason to worry about tomorrow. His eyes narrowed on the brainwave pattern displayed on the main monitor, 494 was enjoying the last minutes of his induced coma.

"Ladies and gentleman, let's start with the DBS." (2)

Five hours, thirty-five minutes and nine seconds later, the gracefully oscillating waves of the EEG changed to short, erratic bursts of activity – 494 was waking up. It would take some time before the patient could be fully conscious, and the staff was well-aware that things could still go terribly wrong at this stage.

_The air was cold and Alec found himself standing on snow covered ground surrounded by tall pine trees in every direction. He scanned the space looking for an explanation for his presence in the strange place, no matter how much he tried to he still had no memory about how he got there. He felt numb and as he looked down he found that he was dressed only in a t-shirt, pair of jeans, and sneakers. Something was definitely wrong._

Ann Miller watched silently as doctors and technicians fussed over the subject. She had been one of the nurses assigned to the boy for the last two months, and now she could feel only an indescribable sadness as she gazed at the his motionless form. She had seen the recording of his violent attack against the guards, but she also had seen the precise moment when his spirit broke. He might have been trained to be a soldier, but she'd recognized the look in his eyes, and a true killer would never have been able to feel so much despair, so much agony.

In any case, it would be over soon, they were bringing him back.

_The snow started to fall and he sighed in annoyance, he needed to find shelter – dying of hypothermia was definitely not the plan. . . And that was when he heard it – Forgetting the cold and his lack of proper clothing, he was completely enthralled by the distant sound breaking the eerie silence of this cold place. The notes were full of melancholy, an endless sadness turned into music – somehow Alec felt that he knew the song._

The staff was ready to proceed with the last of the DBS, and all eyes were focused on the young man strapped to the metal chair in the center of the room. His dark blond hair had been cut was now shorter than it had been when he'd arrived six months ago, his skin looked tan and the ghostly paleness that he'd exhibited only a week ago was gone. They'd made sure that even the smallest details had been covered in order to turn the lies into reality. The last electric jolt was applied into 494's brain. Their work was done and now there was nothing else for them to do but wait.

_His eyes found the figure standing alone, her back to him, a black silhouette in the middle of the snow. Her dark hair moved with the wind, catching snow flakes while the gentle movements in her arms and bobbing of her head indicated that she was responsible for the sound. A violinist crouched in the snow in the middle of nowhere, playing a song he could have sworn he knew. There was something missing, something important, he could feel it._

_Alec tried to reach her but found he couldn't move…not an inch, much less a foot. He knew he hadn't moved but he found himself closer anyway, and still too far away. His lips moved but no sound came out, he couldn't voice his questions – they resounded only in his mind. 'Who are you? What are you doing here?'_

_The woman stopped playing as if she had heard him anyway; she didn't turn around or acknowledge his presence. 'It doesn't matter now.' _

_Her answer caught him by surprise, her voice sounded familiar too. He tried to remember where, or when, or who she was. . . And a blinding pain knocked the air from his lungs, left him gasping and breathless; his eyes lost focus as he fought to stay on his feet, suddenly dizzy and losing feeling to the rest of his body. The figure moved her head slightly as if she was trying to look at him over her shoulder without really facing him, 'It's time for you to go.'_

_The pain intensified and he fell to his knees, eyes tightly shut and his hands clutching at his head. He felt like his brain was about to explode. The pain was unbearable and he bit down on his bottom lip trying not to scream, tiny drops of blood falling on the white snow as the song started once again, drifting slowly across his mind as the tremors coursed through his body. _

'_It's time for you to go.' _

_The voice was drifting away and he couldn't remember where he was, who he was…_

'_Go…'_

The brain activity spiked again. 494 was nearly conscious. Fanning watched as the ashen lashes parted and green orbs stared unfocusedly for a couple of seconds. Robert gave a signal and the laser that had been placed in front of the subject hummed to quiet life, the focused red light making contact with 494's retina and provoking an involuntary jerk from him in response. Fanning let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, picking up the phone and pressing the numbers, he waited.

"The subject is awake."

Elizabeth Renfro walked through the doors into the room, her high heels made a deafening racket in the previously silent room. Her eyes scanned critically over the disoriented face of the subject, paying special attention to his expression. Satisfied with what she found she allowed her lips to curl into a cruel smirk.

"Welcome back, 494."

_**Ooo0oo0ooo0ooO**_

_To be continued…_

* * *

(1) let justice be done, even though heavens fall  
(2) DBS, Deep Brain Stimulation


End file.
